The Port of Spain prison has been described as a “hell hole” and the officers that work there are demanding it be shut down and that the Commissioner of Prisons Deopersad Ramoutar resign.
The Prison Officers Association, during a press conference yesterday, said issues with the facility have been raised on numerous occasions and their latest call for the prison closure stems in part to the fallout over the riot at the prison on March 26th, 2024.
The riot broke out after inmates became involved in an altercation between another inmate and a prison officer. It resulted in the death of one prisoner and left 17 officers and six inmates injured.
Speaking at the press conference on Tuesday, general secretary of the association Lester Logie said the prison had outlived its usefulness.
He described it as a “hellhole” and said prison officers and inmates are made to deal with occupational safety and health (OSH) issues daily such as mold, broken cell gates and a shortage of slop pails, among other things.
Logie said despite Ramoutar’s having just over a month of service left before his retirement, he and association president Gerard Gordon both want him to resign. They said the association and its members had lost confidence in his leadership.
They said their confidence was further dented after Ramoutar made disparaging comments in a radio interview on Monday about the association’s role in addressing contraband being smuggled into the prison.