By LETRE SWEETING

Tribune Staff Reporter

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

AFTER the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WAGD) criticised the Department of Corrections for not allowing conjugal visits since the COVID-19 pandemic, acting Corrections Commissioner Doan Cleare countered yesterday that video calls are common and have generally replaced in-person visits.

In its preliminary report on Friday, the WGAD said the absence of conjugal visits in correctional facilities affects family situations and jeopardises people’s return to society. The Working Group also said the prison conditions are below standard and noted detainees often cannot access medical care.

“We have video visitation,” acting Commissioner Cleare said. “Video visitation is through video conferencing. Their report did not mention that, and that is something that I pointed out to them. Everybody now does visits through video.”

Acting Commissioner Cleare also noted that the prison implemented a six-month Grow Your Child programme in August, which allowed dozens of mothers at the female prison to be visited by their children and other relatives for the first time. Plans are underway to expand the programme to the medium-security facility in January, followed by the remand centre and then the maximum-security prison.

“To me, video visitation is better than the physical contact because people on the Family Islands, Grand Bahama, Exuma, Eleuthera, they don’t have to come to Nassau anymore to have a visit,” Mr Cleare said.

“I can have 120 persons visiting at any given time through video. Each video visitation will last a half hour. So, some days, we will have 400 visits per day. Video visitation is unlimited. Once it is scheduled, it will take place.”

The Working Group expressed extreme concern about detainees’ inability to access medical care, including specialist care.

Mr Cleare said about five people with acute illnesses are referred to the Princess Margaret Hospital daily.

“The only challenge that I am having as it relates to medical care is the persons who are mentally ill, because the one psychiatrist and the one psychologist, they are overwhelmed in terms of offenders in here,” he said. “That’s why we asked the government for four more persons. Two have arrived already, and we are awaiting the arrival of two more, with one coming mid-January, the psychiatrist.”

The Working Group received complaints about limited yard time, with inmates sometimes getting only ten to 20 minutes twice weekly.

“The exercise yard in maximum can only hold about 30 persons at any given time, and when you have over 600 residents in maximum, it is difficult to give everyone one hour exercise, and you also factor gang fights,” Mr Cleare said. “This only occurs in maximum. Persons in medium and the remand are out all day.”

Mr Cleare said most of the report’s concerns relate to what happens in maximum security.

“I can’t fault the report, because it is no secret that maximum is overcrowded and has people sleeping on the floor,” he said. “It is no secret that maximum may have four persons in a given cell. That’s a known fact. Also, what is known is that the government is now taking the initiative to construct a new facility because the current was built in the 1950s for punishment.”