Correctional officer freed of drug charges

Rasbert Turner, Star Writer

A correctional officer was freed of drug charges in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, following a successful application by his lawyer.

Charged with breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act is Michael Stewart, 49, acting staff officer at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre.

When the matter came up in the Spanish Town RM Court, defence attorney, Courtney Maxwell, submitted to the court that Stewart did not have a case to answer.

“Your Honour, there is nothing to prove that my client knew there was drug inside of the container which was later retrieved from a cell at the prison,” Maxwell said.

He said that his client was not guilty of any wrong and should be allowed to go back to work.

Resident Magistrate Anmarie Nembhard then ordered that Stewart be freed. However, two prisoners, Devon Watkins and Bryan Lettman, who were also charged in connection with the same incident, were remanded until August 29.

Allegations are that on February 17, 2014, Stewart was on duty at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre, when he allegedly placed a container under a piece of concrete. Surveillance camera reportedly saw Lettman picked up the container and took it to his cell.

A search was conducted some 10 minutes later at the cells and ganja weighing more than two pounds were found. Both Lettman and Watkins were charged with possession of ganja .

Investigations later led to the arrest and charge of Stewart with possession of ganja, dealing in ganja and trafficking ganja.

View the original article here

Correctional officer freed of drug charges

Correctional services worried about attempted suicides

BY ALICIA DUNKLEY Senior staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com

Wednesday, January 22, 2014    

THE Department of Corrections has admitted that it is challenged by incidents of attempted suicide in both adult and juvenile institutions under its watch.

According to a report presented to a meeting of the Internal and External Affairs Committee of Parliament yesterday, the department said that in recent months three adults (two females and one male) and 14 wards (three females and 11 males) attempted suicide.

The department, whose team was headed by Major General Stewart Saunders, permanent secretary in the Ministry of National Security, said it, however, “recognises the need to build capacity to manage the psycho-social needs of inmates and wards”.

It said suicide or self-harm was included in the training programme for the last two intakes of correctional officers, and also reported that presently mental health services are provided by three sessional psychiatrists and psychological services by one sessional and two full- time psychologists.

The issue of suicide behind bars took front and centre for weeks following the November 21, 2012 suicide of teenager Vanessa Wint at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre in Kingston. Also in January of last year, some four underage girls from the same institution were hospitalised after overdosing on antidepressant tablets.

In the meantime, the department has admitted that although it tries to meet the needs of mentally ill inmates it does not have adequately trained staff, appropriate infrastructure and an environment conducive to effectively treat and rehabilitate them. It said those who are “unfit to plea are particularly vulnerable”.

The department said since there is no determinate sentence they must remain until they are deemed fit and brought back before the court.

There are some 264 mentally ill inmates of the total inmate population of 3,281 as at January 10 this year. Some 80 are unfit to plea.

View the original article here

Correctional services worried about attempted suicides