Griffith: Consider privatising local prisons

Former national security minister Gary Griffith says consideration should be given to privatising prisons to allow for greater accountability. He made the suggestion during a discussion on ISAAC 98.1 FM’s Looking for Solutions programme on Wednesday night.

Griffith was asked about a video on social media showing local prison officers wearing ski masks and beating restrained prisoners. He responded that he did not like to comment on issues under investigation, but did suggest that the country look at the possibility of privatised prisons. He said it is not a matter of people losing their jobs but a system of accountability and measurement of performance by having a private entity within the prison system to monitor.

“There is no one there to guard the guards,” he commented. He said similarly, with the Police Service, the Police Complaints Authority frequently complains that it is a toothless bulldog, while in other countries there is an internal division that would monitor the police. He pointed out the only person to take disciplinary action is the commissioner of police and he may refuse to do so due to a concern about going to court or because he wants to give the impression he is a nice guy to other officers.

“I think that is why it is important you look at systems. Sometimes it involves privatisation, to make sure there are checks and balances to ensure accountability in different arms of the protective services.” On the overcrowding and outdated state of some of the nation’s prisons, Griffith said there must be a massive overhaul in the criminal justice system. He said the implementation of GPS bracelets will allow people to go out without having to be incarcerated for an extended period, while their movements can be monitored to make them accountable.

On foreign expertise to assist with crime, Griffith recalled during his tenure as national security minister he utilised the services of former New York City commissioner of police Bill Bratton. He stressed that crime is not a culture but a product of opportunity and there is no such thing as a “TT crime” or “a US crime.”

He said several of the policies he implemented during his tenure (such as GPS tracking of all police vehicles, linking E999 to the National Operations Centre) had their plug pulled by very senior people in the Police Service “for whatever reason, either lack of knowledge in understanding the use of technology, either because they did not want to be made accountable (and) to have their performance measured – and we are paying the price.