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Better conditions for our prisoners?

28 June 2010 26 Comments

As you have probably heard, 19 out of the 34 prisoners who escaped yesterday from the GRNW prison are still roaming freely in the wild. While the authorities are trying their best to capture the remaining of them, many Mauritians are now feeling insecure in their own homes. This incident has become so popular that even the world cup 2010 is losing some importance in the media and in gossips of the island :P

While discussing about this local episode of prison break with my freelance reporter (Bhanu), we came nearly to a disagreement… Yeah, it happens lol.

In fact, we did not share the same point of view on how prisoners should be treated and on whether their conditions should be improved in prisons. It is not a secret : many prisoners actually complain about their harsh life behind the bars, punishment and living conditions.

Questions…

How should these persons be treated?

Should prisons be some kind of hotel or holiday inn, sponsored by us, the tax-payers.

We all talk about Human rights, but will you still consider them as humans if they kill or rape one of your family members?

And what about drugs and mobile phones found in jails?

What do you think on this topic?

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  • http://www.yashi-g.com Yashi

    “but will you still consider them as humans if they kill or rape one of your family members?”

    What kind of ridiculous question is that? Of course they are still humans! Criminals yeah, but humans.

    As for living conditions in prisons, none of the extremes are right. We can’t treat them like rats, we are not in the middle ages anymore. Nor can we lodge them in 5 star hotels, it is too expensive.

    Concerning drugs and mobile phones, stricter controls are essential, but I am sure the whole prison force is as corrupt as hell, or they are probably just worried about their own safety if they try to displease gang chiefs.

    Is there community service for criminals in Mauritius?

  • http://www.sabbynur.com Sabby

    how did 34 prisoners escape? What the heck happened?

  • Le_Voyageur

    Prisonier .. 2 dimoun rode defonce kot moi hier matlo .. i hate those peoples mais somehow feel that pa tou ki tete bruler .. ena kin fer sa par helplessness mais ena yen tro fort ..

    pour moi personellement, bizin laisse zot dan prison sans oken faciliT cause kan zot ti p fer crime zot pan pensE ki pou arriV par la suite meanwhile victime la in souffert pou rien and done zot ban faciliT ?? victime in passe misere lorla criminel p manzE boir dormi GRATUIT ???

    Mauritius C’est Un Plaisir ..

  • http://commaurice.wordpress.com Ludovic

    Improving living conditions in mauritian prisons does not mean making them become like hotels, this is demagogy.
    It means making the conditions decent and acceptable. One simple example if u put 6 prisoners in a cell designed for only 3 it is not acceptable.
    Now I must confess that I have never visited a prison in Mauritius so I will not comment more on this.
    But what this event shows is that the security has to be improved, the prison officers need better training and be more equipped!

  • http://pramoduniverse.com/ Pramod

    Maybe that’s why crime rate keep increasing… They prefer to commit a crime and spend the rest of their lives nicely in the prison… no tension of work or families… :P

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Sabby : hmm, some kind of local episode of Prison Break, right in Mauritius.
    34 prisoners made their way out of the prison after attacking the officers on guard there. It happened at around 1730hrs and 24hrs later, 15 of them have been either captured or have surrendered themselves to the police. They are stating that they were threatened and forced by other prisoners to get out of the prison. You might get the full story on lexpress.mu and defimedia.info :-)

    @Yashi : Perhaps I have expressed myself wrongly, sorry. I rephrase :
    “Would you consider giving them the same rights in case they [...]?”

    Last week, the PM was questioned about these issues (mobile phones, drugs) in jails and he replied that everything was under control. I guess that the prisoners wanted to prove him wrong.

    As for community service, I don’t think that I can give you any info on this. Let’s see if someone else has more to say?

  • Mike

    No doubt this particular prison break will feed the discussions in the next session of parliament. The investigation will bring a report on the reasons and methods. One of the major factors will be prison overcrowding and rundown facilities. I guess there is a need for modern prison facilities with improved accommodation as well as education and training programs. The reforms, which will no doubt come after this debacle, will have to include better recruitment and training of prison officers. There is a great need to weed out the corrupted staff from the prison establishments. Treatment of prisoners should be correct while maintaining discipline and security in the establishment. Drugs and mobile phones are getting through with the complicity of staff hence the need to clean up corruption.

  • http://fadil.fr/ Fadil

    I propose:
    1. privatising the prison system
    2. classification of criminals according to the ‘atrocity’ of their crimes
    3. having the state control the max. security prisons only.

    Private prison facilities will prevent people from ranting about tax payers’ money being “wasted” on criminals. The organisations owning private prisons will still need to pay taxes.

    They shall make money by making the criminals work – building stuff like chairs, tables, etc, or do any work suited for the criminals under strict supervision. Plus, some criminals can be given a proper academic education which will serve them when they get out.

    Private prisons should be responsible for REFORMING criminals such as thieves, crackers, money launderers, etc..

    Max. security prisons will keep high profile criminals.

    All prisons need not need more guards. They need better security technology and fewer guards.

    What else? Human rights are essential. And reforming criminals is a must. Society does not need to let people down.
    A proper follow-up of all reformed and released men is a must. There shall be no discrimination against reformed and free ex-criminals.

  • http://www.tushal.net Tushal

    Yashvin, mo croire jamais to pan ale faire 1 tour dan sa ban prison la. .
    c ban prisonier ki faire beau ek mauvais temps. .par example: si zordi in cuit manger poisson ek banla in envi mange 1 bon poulet. .bel beser lever. ek a la fin, zot gagne zot manger poulet la. .

    aster to pe dire improve prison life encore?kifer pa faire prison vin hotel Prince Maurice!!!
    in arive ler don sa ban guard prison la fizi. .ek non pa air gun.

  • karishma

    during my training visiting the prison and couselling to the prisoners were a must.. was veri scared for the first time.. but once i was in.. i was amazed.. prisonier met savate QUICKSILVER tshirt BILLABONG montre CASIO sil vou plai.

    they get money from their relatives n use this money for smoking or drugs. met some very intellectual persons.. LOL one among them was a software engineer who regrets he is in jail since he was involved in drug trafficking…

    dats so true: our money and the prisoners r having a life of roses… they have diferent menus: BRIANI as well!!!! some who admitted that the prefer the prison life since they do not have to beg or toil hard to have food n get some money…

  • bhanu

    hehe :)

    Comme je disais à Yashvin ce matin, une prison est un lieu de penitence ou on purge une peine et donc il y a en effet necessité que le prisonnier ressente un decalage de la vie normale et qu’il ait un sentiment de punition. C’est ainsi ce manque de liberte et de confort basic qui aura un effet certain sur le spychique et decouragera de nouveau crime ou recidives…

    Cependant, l’objectif d’une prison est aussi a aider l’etre humain a une reconversion dans la societe, en l’apprenant tout d’abord a comprendre ses torts, mais aussi a le transformer en personne qui peut contribuer au travail: la plupart de ces gens n’ont pas eu l’education moral necessaire a l’enfance et manque des competences pour travailler honnetement. Une personne qui a compris ses erreurs et qui en ressort grandit d’une prison peut servir d’image et aider ses semblables a mieux s’en sortir de maniere honnete dans la vie

    Mais maintenant, si une prison ressemble plus a un chambre de torture, avec des conditions de vies excecrable, je pense que deja la societe ne donne pas la bonne image d’autorité et de moralité qui commande respect qu’elle se doit
    de plus, on est en train d’aneantir un etre humain qui n’est pas forcement juste,meme si cette personne a commis des crimes, et que ce dernier peut se repentir apres sa peine

    une prison doit donc servir d’endroit de peine et de reconstruction, mais pas d’aneantissement d’un etre humain

    comme on dit, on mesure une société à ses ecoles, ses hopitaux, mais aussi ses prisons ;)

  • vicks

    i think they should have water beds, silk curtains, Menu from 5 star hotels, parabole and air-con…

  • ashvin

    bizin met tv dan prison! banla ti p zis envi guet coupe du monde!

  • Torpedo

    I support this kind of prison: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon

  • http://www.tushal.net Tushal

    Parmi sa 34 prisonier kin soV la. mo bet ki banla pou gagne nek 33. .

  • http://fadil.fr/ Fadil

    We now know where lExpress stands which is not shocking at all.
    Clip: http://www.entertonement.com/clips/clysjpyxrx–Edito-Mardi-29-06-10-Mp3

  • Torpedo

    Guette enn koutt ki distance certains ONG été ar realité:

    “Selon un membre du groupe Kinouete, Ong (…) «Il est fort probable que les prisonniers étaient à bout», explique notre interlocutrice. Selon elle, les conditions de vie des détenus sont responsables de cette évasion.”

    Mo mette kommier kass ki to-lé lors la moi: ça évasion-la c’est enn coup monté depuis très longtemps pou faire diversion et permett Missier Monvoisin (innocent jusqu’à preuve du contraire) mett le cap au large…

    Bien sur Tushal, to pou gagne la-moitié mo kass lors sa betting-la :-)

  • http://yasir03.online.fr Yasir

    These guys are having a cool life as karishma says. It’s true that good food is provided by Mauritius Prisons. As I mentioned on facebook, they were out for comic books, movies, nandos annddddd pizzzzzzzaaa :D

  • Torpedo

    To answer your question: YES, better conditions for our prisonners.

    Like this:
    http://www.corpun.com/sgjur1.htm
    http://www.corpun.com/sgj00807.htm#20359
    http://www.corpun.com/sgj00704.htm#19113
    http://www.corpun.com/vidhkj01.htm
    http://www.corpun.com/vidju2.htm
    http://www.corpun.com/vidju.htm

    Beware of the last two links: very graphic.

    Ha-yah! Si ou pas dressé ar ça, abé mo danse touni la-mé dans poss!

  • http://fadil.fr/ Fadil
  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    Update : 25 out of 34 back to jail

  • vaiizard

    Y should we care about prisonners welfare?? They are sent to jail because they committed crimes and deserve punishment. Else everyone would like to go to prison no need to work and get food.

    Sa bane lichien rotweiller kine capturer la bizin done sa bane garde prison la zot pou cav servi sa pou dechire sa ban prisonier la…

    On the other hand mo trouve sa 1 bon kitchoz ki sa ban prisonier la in evade coz sa p permet ban policier fer l’exercice casse zot gros ventre. E aussi fer sa ban SMF ki boire du sang 1 la jrne gagne role pareil pou bane coast guard zot p bizin tire bato dehor. lol
    Bizin sa ban type l’exercice la pli couvent pou nou la force policiere.

  • vicks

    ki arrive sa 25 kine gagnE la? pas fer narnien contre zotte?

  • http://fadil.fr/ Fadil

    News: Justice Secretary plans ‘radical’ prison policy change
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10457112.stm

    Prend reforme UK et slap ene sticker stella clavis maris indici si pas koi la haut. Fini.

  • Torpedo

    Fadil, samem link mo pas ti ressi poster hier:merci pou to z’effort!!

    Hein, enn le-majeur bien droit dressé en direction bann égoistes saki content faire motard ouvert simé gramatin pou zotte: http://lemauricien.com/mauricien/100630/ca.htm

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