Minister expects CPT to present
devastating report about prison
PHILIPSBURG—The Pointe Blanche prison and detention cells in Bonaire are in such a poor condition that Justice Minister David Dick fears the European Committee for prevention of Torture (CPT) will present a very harsh judgement on the penitentiary system in the Netherlands Antilles.
The CPT is expected to visit the Netherlands Antilles before the end of June. Compared with the situation a decade ago when the CPT visited the Antilles, much has been improved within the penitentiary system, but it’s still not enough.
The current structures are outdated and considered very unsafe by experts. For re-modelling of the prison facilities on the three islands an amount of NAf. 100 million is needed. There is also need for more prison guards.
In an interview with the Amigoe newspaper, Dick said that with or without the Final Accord, certain obligations have to be complied with. “Maintaining law and order and justice have been singled out as priorities. It’s also about the image of the Kingdom. It makes no sense to wait any longer,” Dick said.
After the CPT had stated on numerous occasions during the nineties that human rights were being violated in the Koraal Specht prison in Curaçao it was re-modelled. But the present Bon Futuro prison structure has never been a logical one with all its corridors and entrances, the Minister said, also pointing out that the situation in St. Maarten and Bonaire is even worse.
“There is hardly any differentiation creating a situation where hardened criminals and those who committed less serious offences are mixed together.”
All three prisons lack technical resources to make responsible management possible, such as cameras, an alarm system and high-quality detection point at the entrances.
Dick stressed that a solid base for the penitentiary institution is necessary. Good quality cells, training for the personnel and re-socialisation programmes for inmates are necessary. “Constructing new facilities is cheaper than waiting, because then the situation will only get worse,” Dick said.
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