PHILIPSBURG--Members of the Prison Inmates Association accuse Minister of Justice of "trying to manipulate the system and utilise his position in an abusive fashion."
In a continued effort to better the detention situation the association released a statement on Thursday. The statement claimed that Minister of Justice Roland Duncan's plans to relocate sentenced inmates to Simpson Bay Police station while Pointe Blanche Prison was being renovated was "misleading," "unethical" and "unlawful."
The association believes that the minister has no actual plans to renovate the prison, but the relocation is actually a "trick" to create more space to house suspects.
In December the Judge of Instruction ruled that the minister was not allowed to use cells to house inmates. In a follow up interview the minister revealed plans to file an appeal and publish a re-written decree in the National Gazette.
Earlier this week in another interview with The Daily Herald speaking about the prison situation, the minister said he had done as required and placed his decree to be published in the National Gazette.
The last edition of the National Gazette was published December 9th. Still even after being published the law requires the minister to wait a period of three months before moving on in the process.
The Daily Herald has learned that some documents indicate that minister had to relocate 30 prisoners to the Philipsburg Police Station on Wednesday. However, Prison Director Rudsel Ricardo and Police Spokesperson Inspector Ricardo Henson said they had not heard of such plans.
Sources inside the prison say that construction had not yet begun, but the planning was done. They also informed that the renovation start date was moved from November 2011 to sometime in 2012; they said that a company had been contracted.
Critics of the minister doubt whether he actually plans to do the renovation. It was said that companies were asked to make a quotation for the project but no confirmation had yet been given as to who would carry out the project. The quoted amount was not available.
In their statement the Prison Inmates Association highlighted international solutions to overcrowding such as: The choice by Italy's Minister of Justice to grant inmates with less time remaining on their sentence 18 months house arrest, and Anguilla's option to use an electronic tracking bracelet system.
Of the 25 electronic bracelets on St. Maarten only four or five are said to be in working condition. The capacity at the prison is 120, but currently there are 140 detained there.
Minister Duncan was not available to comment on the claims against him and his relocation plans.
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