The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE latest US State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices highlights poor prison conditions and the mistreatment of migrants in The Bahamas, revealing in one instance of a prisoner being beaten and requiring surgery. 

The report, released yesterday, says conditions at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services were harsh because of “overcrowding, poor nutrition, inadequate sanitation, poor ventilation and inadequate medical care.”

Designed to accommodate 1,000 prisoners, the correctional facility held 1,617 inmates as of December 2020, according to the report.

Inadequate access to clean drinking water remained an issue in the men’s maximum security block, remand and the women’s block and the report notes that up to six men are contained in six-by-ten feet maximum-security cells without mattresses, running water or toilet facilities.

“Inmates removed human waste by bucket. Prisoners complained of the lack of beds and bedding. Some inmates developed bedsores from lying on the bare ground. Sanitation was a general problem, with cells infested with rats, maggots, and insects. Ventilation was also a problem, and some inmates complained of mould and mildew. The government claimed to provide prisoners in maximum-security areas access to toilets and showers one hour a day. The women’s facilities were generally more comfortable, with dormitory-style quarters and adequate bathrooms,” the report says.

“The availability of clearly labeled, prescribed pharmaceuticals and access to physician care was sporadic. Prisoners consistently complained that prison authorities did not take their health concerns seriously. Sick male inmates and male inmates with disabilities had inadequate access to the medical centre. One inmate, who requested assistance for a series of medical complications, died at BDCS in October. The inmate’s family had been permitted to provide him with nutritional supplements and healthy meals until the COVID-19 pandemic forced the prison to restrict visitors. Absent outside support and adequate prison care, the inmate died in his cell.

“In February a correctional officer beat a prisoner, causing a leg injury that required surgery. The government stated it charged the officer with use of unnecessary force and referred the matter to a disciplinary tribunal at the Department of Correctional Services,” the report states. 

However, the report notes that the government has made some improvement to prison conditions.

It says: “The government took steps to improve prison conditions, including by introducing biodegradable bags for proper waste disposal, constructing 100 bunk beds, and installing flooring, air conditioning, and masonry in parts of the maximum-security area. In addition inmates noted repairs to water flow during the year and a reopened prison library. At the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, the government replaced floor tiles in all dormitories.” 

The report also highlights allegations of corruption against immigration officers, which are described as credible.

“One individual, claiming he was born in The Bahamas, said authorities apprehended him and held him at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre for migrants before he bribed several officials to release him,” the report said. “Activists for the Haitian community acknowledged alleged victims filed few formal complaints with government authorities and attributed this to a widespread perception of impunity for police and immigration authorities and fear of reprisal.”

Regarding people who are not automatically given Bahamian citizenship, the US State Department took the position that the “government did not effectively implement laws and policies to provide certain habitual residents the opportunity to gain nationality in a timely manner and on a nondiscriminatory basis. There was little progress in advancing legislation intended, in part, to address the issue of statelessness.”