Crackdown On Prohibited Items In Prison
Cabinet has approved amendments to increase the penalties for conveying prohibited articles into prison and to also provide a sentencing regime around specific prohibited articles including cell phones, Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley said this morning [Mar 8] in the House of Assembly.
“The Commissioner of Corrections has instituted a zero-tolerance policy on contraband generally and cell-phones in particular,” said the Minister. “However, the Government has determined that this policy must be supported with an appropriate legislative framework.”
Minister Dunkley said, “It is intended that the amending legislation will set out a list of certain specific items which, if conveyed into a prison, will be punishable as an offence with periods of imprisonment and/or fines. Attempts at committing these offences will also be punished.
“Mr. Speaker, as legislators first and foremost it is our responsibility to support the men and women who we entrust with this important aspect of public safety. A cell phone in the hands of an inmate can be tool to continue the conduct for which they have been imprisoned in the first place.”
Minister Dunkley’s full statement follows below:
Mr. Speaker, by definition a prison combines those elements in our society that present some of the greatest challenges. Incarceration is principally designed to remove an individual from the comforts of home and to severely restrict one’s liberty and contact with the outside world.
In this era of cell phones and the vast array of communicative features they contain, their presence in a prison has the potential to frustrate the ends of justice and to pose serious risks to the safety of the wider public.
Mr. Speaker, the Prisons Act 1979 already makes provision for offences of conveying prohibited articles into prison. While not specifically mentioned in the legislation, the practice is to include cell phones as prohibited articles also.
Mr. Speaker, the Commissioner of Corrections has instituted a zero-tolerance policy on contraband generally and cell-phones in particular. However, the Government has determined that this policy must be supported with an appropriate legislative framework.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise this Honourable House that Cabinet has approved amendments to the Prisons Act 1979 and the Prison Rules 1980 to increase the penalties for the offence of conveying prohibited articles into prison and to also provide a sentencing regime around specific prohibited articles including cell phones.
Mr. Speaker, it is intended that the amending legislation will set out a list of certain specific items which, if conveyed into a prison, will be punishable as an offence with periods of imprisonment and/or fines. Attempts at committing these offences will also be punished.
Mr. Speaker, as legislators first and foremost it is our responsibility to support the men and women who we entrust with this important aspect of public safety. A cell phone in the hands of an inmate can be tool to continue the conduct for which they have been imprisoned in the first place. This will not be tolerated and those who supply phones to prisoners can also expect to feel the full brunt of the law.
Mr. Speaker, these measures form part of an overall review of various aspects of security within the Department of Corrections. The Commissioner and the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) have emphasized the importance of secure facilities.
In addition to these legislative initiatives work is underway to modernize the system of internal radios within Corrections to ensure that officers have a working system in which they have confidence. Perimeter integrity, officer and inmate safety and high standards of training will all be addressed as priorities within the Department.
Mr. Speaker, keeping Bermuda safe is not solely the responsibility of the Police. The gang lifestyle which inevitably leads to imprisonment, injury or death, does not check itself at the prison gate. This Government will not tolerate any activity within the prison walls that further undermines the integrity of the work of so many within the criminal justice system.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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The Prison Warden has turned a blind eye to cell phones and drug use at Westgate. If you want change at Westgate, then it starts with firing the Warden. That will change the mindset and certainly bring about a new Warden who won’t turn a blind eye to all the nonsence which has been going on for years.
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Ya got Black Soil laugh’n his black a$$ off!!!!! thx.
Guyz got I phones bbms I pods chargers n much more you just talking stop wa you provide more time lol
This is a self correcting problem . If someone is caught with ANY prohibited item put them in the hole for one month . Punish the whole prison population by withdrawing things like sugar , tuna fish and chicken for the same month . That would save the taxpayer a ton of money .
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The whole prison system is a joke. Once they get rid of the cell phones the spoiled prisoners can still have access to a phone. A,ll you have to do is visit Western Union on King Street have the prisoners account number and pay monies towards their LEGAL phone, oh and don’t forget the additional $5 fee for Western Union. Half of them don’t even have a bank account but they got a Prison Phone Account. Sad. They will never learn. Spoiled Brats.
How about investing in cell phone jammers?
I agree.
If you invested in a new Prison Warden, then all this sh!t would come to an end.
The one they has at Esso 24H in Hamilton was particularly effective.
*had
Cell phone keypads ftw.
Now let me get this right – a crackdown on illegal items in a prison!!
Should’n't that be the normal state of affairs?
That is like some guys I hear bragging that they pay child support, something they are legally and morally bound to do!
Change all the prison officers to foreigners and you will see results cause these officers are scared of going in guys rooms an shaken stuff up…..
Then we would have more Bermudians out jobs something we are tryig to get sorted out now. I guess that makes sence.SMH!!!
PocketHound cell phone detector detects and locates contraband cell phone in prisons.
Wouldn’t you just have to pull the battery if/when not in use?
GOOD DAY BERMUDA,
I THINK THAT THE REASON THERE AREN’T ANY OR NOT MUCH SHAKE DOWNS IS BECAUSE MAYBE, JUST MAYBE THE OFFICERS ARE AFRAID OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO THEM AND OR THEIR FAMILY.WHY CAN’T THEY GET THE POLICE (hid their identity of course) DO THE SHAKE DOWNS,THEY (POLICE) DON’T GET TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR DUTY UNTIL THEY GET TO WORK, SO THEY’D BE NO “HEADS UP” TO ANYONE.)I WOULDN’T EVEN LET THE HEAD OF THE PRISON KNOW, (THAT’S CONSIDERED A HEADS UP):)
Thank you Mr Dunkley. Long overdue. And so we,’re looking forward to proper enforcement.
I still say if you take away the top two tiers of Cablevision, Sunday’s lobster dinner and the Sealy Posturepedic mattresses with double sleep number controls, you might get their attention.
i see a lot of you dont know that Lamb is just a lamb but we all know that a lamb was a sacreficial thing…Mr Lamb DOES not make the rules HE is there to enforce them…now he may be a bit lenient with his enforcement towards a certain segment of his population,why?…maybe he has tried to be compassionate to the plights of some of these young men and hopes a change can be made in their mindset…obviously it’s not working as he anticipated …prison needs to be a place that ALL fear to venture.
FEAR is not all bad , fear can change your mind ,YOU respect things that you fear ie; electricity,coz you can get the shock of your life. Fire coz you will get burned,now im quite sure you dont hate fire or electricity but you know what comes when you disrespect them…the same concept needs to be done with people…”consequences” just aren’t implemented to it’s full potential…there are solutions to every equation, the problem lies with the people that have an Agenda for this Planet,it’s a Game that they are playing , which will take me on to another subject which is probably to complex for feeble little minds to comprehend…i’ll leave it at that.
As much as I believe in law and order, this so called get tough reform is BS – as Churchill remarked, if you wish to judge a society, judge it by how it treats its prisoners and its old people. I think we are going the wrong way and should be looking more for a Scandinavian type solution rather than Dunkley’s ‘hang em high’ American (practically Texan) solution. As much as I have a great deal of time for Michael, his instincts are wrong on this one.