Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC) Khemraj Ramjattan said today that relationships between inmates and prison officers are not a new phenomenon, as a number of officers have been fired over the years for unprofessional conduct.
His comment comes on the heels of a scandal that broke out on social media recently after a murder convict released intimate and incriminating details about his relationship with a prison officer who he claimed jilted him. Explicit videos and other details made the rounds on social media, with many questioning the State of the prison system. An investigation has been launched into the allegations.
In the meantime, the AFC Leader explained that there are quite a few instances of such relations within the prison walls. While he did not provide a specific figure, he noted that with the termination of officers, it should have been corrected.
“Relationships between inmates and officers is something that is prohibited. And that goes to show that there is a further breakdown now if it is now public again that they are now having sexual relationships,” the AFC Leader said.
Meanwhile, Ramjattan was also asked about allegations being made about the smuggling of contraband by the said officer involved in the scandal. He opined that while there have been a number of mechanisms put in place to prevent various types of smuggling, the act seems to be a profitable one.
“I rather suspect that there is some complicity among prison warders… it calls for so much responsibility on the part of the prison officers to stop this thing. I understand too that it makes a lot of profit for prison officers; we might just need to cut the profit out of it,” Ramjattan said.
