Stakeholders relieved as Port of Spain Prison to finally be closed

CELLS meant for two packed with seven. Rats the size of cats. A crumbling colonial-era prison where hundreds of inmates wait, sometimes for years, for their day in court.

That’s how stakeholders described the Port of Spain Prison, described to Newsday as outdated, overcrowded, and inhumane. With its closure officially announced, many are breathing a sigh of relief.

On September 4, National Security Minister Roger Alexander confirmed the prison would be decommissioned. On September 5, Newsday spoke with several stakeholders who unanimously welcomed the decision while also calling for the site’s re-purposing in a way that honours its complex legacy.

Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) president Gregory Aboud expressed support for the move, citing current inhumane conditions, which included severe overcrowding.

“We concur with his view. The jail itself is outdated, primarily because we believe its conditions are not suitable for anyone.”

Aboud said the subject was not new to DOMA, saying his critique of its internal conditions was based on first-hand experience.

“DOMA has been involved with the prison through outreach programmes aimed at the upliftment of those who are incarcerated. I can say our primary reason for supporting the decision is based upon the inhumane conditions at the prison.”

He said prison was designed by “colonial rulers of the past” and was never built to accommodate the current number of people.

“There is severe overcrowding.”

According to historical records, the construction of the jail, then called Royal Gaol, on Frederick Street, began in 1812 at a cost of £29,853. It was later expanded in the mid-19th century.

Asked if he thought the move would benefit the city economically, Aboud did not think so.

“The movement of people through Port of Spain, because of the activity of the prison, is of economic and commercial benefit to the city. We have no problem with a prison being on Frederick Street.”

He said the population's majority was on remand. He said judicial backlog is a contributing factor to its overcrowding.

“We are keeping people five years, even eight years, on remand, waiting to come to trial, and at times there is not enough evidence to keep them, or critical witnesses do not show up. That demands attention.”

As for what should be erected in its place, Aboud said the building was of historic significance and could be converted into a colonial museum.

“Relics of our colonial past could be stored. Persons might be pleased if the statue of Columbus was placed inside that museum. It could be one of the many artefacts from our colonial past to be housed in the prison-turned-museum.”

He believes it has the potential to become a tourist attraction and campaigned for more restorative measures in the prison system.

"Rehabilitating offenders and showing them the country's humanitarian side, they may grow to regret what they did and be deterred from committing future acts."

Asked about feedback from the business community, he said there had been none, but added it was still early.

He concluded by wishing Alexander good luck.

Activist Debbie Jacob told Newsday she too welcomed the decommissioning, believing it should have been condemned long ago.

“I taught inside there, with rats rummaging in the kitchen behind my classroom. You literally had to watch for rats when going inside there. The rats are bigger than cats.”

Jacob stressed, “It's really not meant for people to be there at all.”

She questioned how all the inmates would be housed at the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca.

“As far as I knew, that prison is already pretty crowded.”

She echoed Aboud's sentiments on the long wait many prisoners faced before their cases were brought before a judge.

“When I was working there, about 65 to 67 per cent of people were awaiting trial. That is what's really unconscionable.”

Jacob hopes the new structure will take into consideration the human rights of prisoners.

“A prison doesn't have to be the Hilton Hotel, but it should at least be fit for humans to live in. That prison has been stuffing up to seven people in a single cell because it doesn’t have room.”

She argued one of the main issues was the lengthy wait for matters to be heard and said building more prisons would not solve that problem.

As for the old building, she too believes it should be transformed into a correctional museum.

“I was told there is a mound of archives at Golden Grove Prison that can be used in a museum. There’s a rich history there. I don’t think it should be torn down.”

She asked, “Instead of building more prisons, why not try giving prisons the operating budget they need?”

Head of the Prison Officers’ Association Gerald Gordon also supported the decommissioning. He said his association had been calling for its closure for some time.

“That prison has outlived its usefulness, and it presents a threat to all who traverse and operate within the capital city.”

Lamenting on a 2015 prison break, he said, “When something like that occurs in the prison, the entire capital city is affected. On that day businesses froze, and people were afraid for their safety.”

On July 24, 2015, three inmates escaped from the Port of Spain Prison in a violent jailbreak that left one police officer and one inmate dead. The escapees, Allan “Scanny” Martin, Christopher Selby, and Hassan Atwell, were armed with two nine millimetre handguns and a hand grenade, believed to have been smuggled in by visitors. They forced prison officers at gunpoint to open the gates, then fled in a waiting dark-blue Nissan Navara.

During the escape, one of the fugitives fatally shot 27-year-old police constable Sherman Maynard. A grenade was also thrown but failed to detonate.

A police chase ended when the Navara crashed near the Port of Spain General Hospital. The fugitives fled onto the hospital compound, where a shootout followed, during which Martin was killed by police.

Gordon said the association was hoping to work closely with the state on the new construction. He hopes for a "purpose-built facility," not located in the city, with modern advances that allow the service to focus on other priorities.

“Rather than on managing a crumbling infrastructure.”

He too hopes the old structure will not be demolished but instead turned into a museum.

“It should be turned into a correctional museum. There's a lot of history in there that people are not aware of and should know.”