Theron Boodan Wednesday, November 3 2004

A man who can be described as a hardened prisoner yesterday sued the State over filthy and degrading prison conditions, saying he felt like an animal or a slave without any rights. It is the first time a case of this kind will be heard in our courts. For several years, local lawyers and even Amnesty International have been complaining about the unsanitary and inadequate prison conditions in Trinidad.  Even Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma talked about the deplorable prison conditions in his speech during the opening of the 2004/2005 Law term in September.   In  legal documents filed yesterday on behalf of prisoner Ronald Harewood, the prisoner complained, among other things, about cats in prison urinating on prisoners, cockroaches crawling on them and their food.

The writ also cites prisoners having to defecate on pieces of paper or cardboard in a dark cell with as many as 17 inmates. The writ was filed in the Registry of the Port-of-Spain High Court by instructing attorney Darrell Allahar. Harewood, who has about ten convictions, is asking the court to declare that because of the prison conditions his being kept in detention is illegal, ultra vires, unconstitutional and  in contravention of his fundamental rights and freedom. In his graphic description about  prison conditions, Harewood said, “Inmates are forced to defecate in full view of their cell mates on pieces of paper or cardboard which is then placed in discarded juice boxes, plastic bags and packages which the inmates hoard for this purpose. Inmates urinate in plastic soft drink bottles.

“There is no privacy afforded us. This was extremely embarrassing, humiliating and degrading. I sometimes felt like an animal as if I was reduced to being a worthless person — as if I were nothing. I sometimes felt as though I was a slave with no rights and not entitled to have any respect.” He said faecal matter was thrown in an uncovered pail located outside each cell, but inmates sometimes miss the pail and frequently faeces would remain in the corridor for hours at a time. He added, “ The corridors are often strewn with faeces, mucous, vomit and other human waste. The stench is so bad in the Remand compound that I sometimes develop the urge to vomit and am unable to eat and digest my food.” Cells, he said, were infested with cockroaches. “They crawl along the walls and floor and fall from the ceiling onto us.

There were so many cockroaches that the inmates and I were forced to stuff pieces of newspaper or cloth in our noses, ears and mouth to prevent cockroaches from crawling into these openings while asleep. “After waking up in the morning I frequently had to brush cockroaches out of my hair and clothes and saw other inmates doing the same.” He said sometimes there were so many cockroaches they had to devise ways of trapping them. He said the holes in the few ventilation blocks are clogged with cobwebs and dirt, restricting the air.  Cats sometimes walk on the meshing above the second section and urinate into the cells below. In addition, “because of the overcrowded cells, inmates continuously and unconsciously come into contact with each other.” None of the cells have running water, toilets, sinks, drains or any waste disposal system.