- 1 year ago
Information coming from the Acting Prison Commissioner Carlos Caraspe that the 65 inch TV said to be in a prison cell, was in fact in the hallway.
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00:00On top of the news, information tonight from the Acting Prison Commissioner Carlos Carraspe
00:05that the 65-inch TV set to be in a prison cell was not there.
00:10He says it was in fact in the hallway.
00:13While we've got Mr. Carraspe on the line, Acting Prison Commissioner,
00:17thank you so much for joining us this evening.
00:19Good night to you, Mr. Wabria, and of course, all your viewers.
00:23So, what can you tell us? What is the latest?
00:26With respect to allegations about contraband, particularly this 65-inch television.
00:40Well, certainly, when the Minister, when it was reported that disclosure was made,
00:48I investigated to find out whether that was true or not,
00:54because it was quite concerning if it was in fact true.
01:00And what was reported to me based on my investigation
01:02is that there was a television that was placed in the division,
01:08but the television was not in the cell of the inmate
01:12and in fact was outside on the corridor at the particular facility.
01:19Sid, does this, however, still concern you that it would have entered the prison?
01:24Well, we have televisions across most of the prison facilities.
01:32In fact, the maximum security prison where the building is located,
01:39there are five televisions at that prison.
01:44Because of the way the prison is configured,
01:48when we have televisions for inmates,
01:52they are normally at the exercise yard because it's for communal use.
01:57However, MSP does not allow that facility.
02:00For the Spain prison, Carrera prison, there are televisions in the dormitories.
02:06For the Spain prison has television in the exercise yard.
02:09Golden Grove prison had television inside of the dormitories for the inmates.
02:16So that the televisions being within facilities that allow inmates to see some shows
02:23and the news has been a practice within the general legal prison system for some time.
02:30However, it was extremely concerning because it is never the case
02:36that such a facility is granted by inmates inside of a cell.
02:42And I certainly made inquiries and requested a report on whether what the minister has said
02:52could be confirmed by the officers working in the division.
02:56And I'm satisfied based on what has been reported to me,
02:58that yes, a television was at the Berlin Tutu facility but not in the cell of the inmates.
03:09So, Mr. Carraspe, so this television in question,
03:14could you tell us if it is in compliance with the other televisions in the communal areas,
03:19as you mentioned, are they also of this size, 65 inches?
03:23And, of course, could you confirm whether this television is the property,
03:29communal property of the prison system, the prison service?
03:34The first consideration in terms of the size,
03:38I have not measured the size of the other televisions,
03:41so I am not in a position to say whether it is the same size at all facilities,
03:46but I would be surprised if it would.
03:49That's the first thing.
03:50The second aspect of it is that a television is a piece of equipment
04:00that is granted in relation to a request that is made.
04:05All right, so this particular television that we are speaking about
04:10was granted by a previous commissioner
04:14and was in place there at the time when I took over in June last year.
04:20And therefore, in terms of the specifications,
04:23I certainly am going to make some inquiries,
04:25but the televisions are normally large enough
04:29because of where it is placed.
04:32The inmates would have to be able to see it
04:34if it's done a division.
04:36So it would be large enough to allow several inmates
04:39doing from their cells
04:40to see the television.
04:43Hence, it would not be normally a small television.
04:46Okay, I understand, but we have not ascertained,
04:50you have not ascertained just yet
04:52who owns the television,
04:54if it is in fact the property of the prison service,
04:56who brought it in.
04:57So we have not ascertained you're saying
04:59whether or not it's really contraband.
05:01At this point in time,
05:07I will have to do further inquiries to find out
05:09if when the facility was granted,
05:15the circumstances upon which it was granted,
05:17but I can see that if even it is granted
05:20by a request by the inmates,
05:23the general practice is that it comes into the prison
05:26and it becomes part of the prison inventory.
05:30Therefore, it's not a situation,
05:32because we have had television donated
05:33by several persons across the system.
05:37And when it comes in,
05:38it is based on the prison inventory.
05:40But I will have to make inquiries
05:41to find out if there's anything more than that
05:44where this television is concerned.
05:46And finally, Mr. Carraspe,
05:48among the contraband items cited by these two ministers
05:52were, of course, the television.
05:53They also cited firearms and mobile devices.
05:58Are you able to tell us more about these?
06:01How many have been found?
06:02I mean, firearms by inmates,
06:05held by inmates within the prison system.
06:07That is very concerning.
06:09And also, how would they have gotten into the system?
06:12One, and two,
06:15some persons in the public talk shows and so on
06:17will be or have hold
06:19or are holding you responsible as commissioner.
06:25Certainly, as the head of the prison service,
06:27the box talks with me.
06:29I have a responsibility to ensure
06:31that our security protocols
06:34and all that goes with it is followed.
06:38The reality, however,
06:40is that since I have taken over
06:43the responsibility of the prison,
06:45I have conducted
06:46and continue to conduct
06:47the searches that are required
06:49to un-earn it items
06:50that should not be in this space.
06:51We have conducted 49 searches
06:54together with the police
06:55across all of the nation's prisons
06:58from June last year
07:00to July 2025.
07:03In that time,
07:04we have confiscated
07:055,095 grams of marijuana,
07:10550 cell phones,
07:13524 improvised weapons,
07:19and 20,712 cigarettes.
07:23Those are items that were discovered
07:26when researched
07:27and taken out of the facility.
07:31And, of course,
07:3335 inmates have been charged
07:35with offenses
07:36for having those items
07:38because that is a criminal offense.
07:40In that time,
07:41we have conducted searches
07:42of the officers
07:44entering the prison,
07:46and together with the police,
07:48nine officers have been arrested
07:50and charged by the police
07:51for bringing in prohibited
07:53and unauthorized items
07:55into the prison.
07:56While that is happening,
07:58we have intercepted
07:59over 18 drones
08:02that have been handed over
08:04to the relevant authorities.
08:07In terms of the trover
08:09at Puerto Spain prison,
08:11which is to say packages
08:12intercepted by prison officers
08:14when it comes over the wall,
08:1665 such packages
08:18have been unnotated.
08:21These contained
08:2337,810 cigarettes,
08:298,888 grams of marijuana,
08:3412 cell phones,
08:3636 grams of cocaine,
08:39and 31 ecstasy pills.
08:42All of these
08:43that I'm quoting here,
08:46the last set of statistics,
08:48are packages
08:48that were thrown over
08:50the walls
08:50of the Puerto Spain prison
08:52and confiscated
08:53by prison officers.
08:55Now, Mr. Crasby,
08:57I don't think
08:57we could talk about
08:58these searches
08:59without talking about
09:00the repercussions
09:01on prison officers.
09:02We have heard
09:03that when these searches
09:05go down,
09:06that prison officers
09:08are made to pay
09:09attempts on their lives
09:10and so on.
09:11Have you been able
09:12to make this connect?
09:15Well, as I said
09:16earlier this morning
09:17to another journalist,
09:18when I took over,
09:20there were three categories
09:21of officers
09:22that operate
09:24within the prison service
09:25in my assessment.
09:27The largest category,
09:29because we have
09:29just over 2,700 officers,
09:32are the officers
09:33who are operating lawfully,
09:35doing their jobs
09:36in the way
09:36that they have been
09:37trained to so do.
09:39Then there is
09:40those officers
09:41who are acting
09:42unlawfully.
09:44Those are the officers
09:45who all of my energies
09:47working together
09:48with law enforcement
09:49intend to eradicate
09:51and get out
09:52of the prison system.
09:55And, of course,
09:56there is another group
09:57of officers
09:58who are the
09:59complicit officers.
10:01They are not
10:01actually doing things
10:03that are unlawful,
10:04but they are turning
10:05a blind eye
10:06when they see things happening.
10:09This, of course,
10:10has to do with issues
10:11of fear and concern
10:12for their safety.
10:13And we have been
10:14trying to build
10:15the morale of officers
10:16doing all that we can,
10:19working together
10:20with our external
10:21law enforcement partners
10:23for target happening
10:25and all that it will take
10:26to ensure
10:27the complicit officers,
10:28as the morale improves,
10:31they will start
10:32to do their work
10:32in the way
10:33that we expect.
10:34Because when people
10:35start to speak
10:36about what they see,
10:38then we are in a position
10:39to have the evidence
10:40to act against
10:41these officers.
10:42But I want to make
10:44the point
10:45categorically clear.
10:47The majority
10:48of prison officers
10:49continue to endure
10:51the challenges,
10:53but recognizing
10:54that the contribution
10:55to public safety
10:57is key.
10:58And every officer
10:59who acts in a manner
11:01to bring harm
11:02and hurt
11:03to the public,
11:04whether by a cell phone
11:05or any other prohibited
11:06unauthorized item,
11:08is doing the prison service
11:09a great disservice.
11:10And we know them
11:12to be our enemy.
11:13Mr. Carraspe,
11:14I have one final question,
11:15which is that
11:16an attorney has alleged
11:17that in attempt
11:18to see his client
11:19at one of the prison facilities
11:21that he had to be
11:22blindfolded during a visit.
11:24Can you confirm
11:24if this is now practice?
11:26I cannot confirm
11:29what is being said,
11:32but I would say to you
11:33that the prison
11:35is located
11:36on an army base
11:38where there are
11:39protocols that are in place.
11:41But I cannot confirm
11:42or deny
11:44what is stated
11:45by the attorney.
11:46Mr. Carraspe,
11:47I want to thank you
11:48so much for joining us
11:49this evening
11:49and shedding a lot of light
11:50to the plight
11:51that you all have to go through
11:52and the situation
11:53at our nation's prisons.
11:55Thank you so much
11:56for joining us.
11:57Thank you
11:57and good night
11:58to your viewers.
11:58Please, please, please, please.