The Commissioner of Prisons and Corrections Services, Taitosaua Edward Winsterstein, is slowly settling into his new role.
Having being appointed to the position in May, Taitosaua has been quietly working behind the scenes to prepare for the separation of Prisons from the Ministry of Police.
<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>
The official separation is scheduled for January 2015.
Meantime, Taitosaua says he is pleased with the progress thus far.
“We have a recruitment for new officers in the next couple of weeks,” he says. His budget allows him to recruit at least 15 new officers, subject to approval as per normal public commission and recruitment process.
“So I’m working on that at the moment in preparations for the separation".
There are currently 50 police officers working for the Prisons.
But Taitosaua says he needs at least another 80 more.
So, will there be much difference in the way the prisons are run now from when the separation happens?
“Not much,” says the Prisons and Corrections Commissioner.
“I’m grateful for the assistance from Police. If we do break, we still need to work hand in hand".
“In one area, we rely on the Police to bring in and enforce the law. On the other side, we are keeping offenders in prison so we still have to work together".
In light of the recent Commission of Inquiry report into Taifa’igata Prison, Taitosaua does not want to dwell on the negatives. Rather, he wants to focus on the positives, hoping to turn the negatives into something useful for Samoa.
“A lot has been highlighted in the recent Commission of Inquiry and I’m using that as my baseline to move forward and address all the issues raised,” he says.
“It highlights the problems at the moment and at the same time, it is a way forward because if it hadn’t been established (the Inquiry) no one would’ve picked up the faults in the system, no one would’ve realised its existence and the need to address it".
The former Assistant Police Commissioner, Sala Seaga Uili resigned following the first Commission of Inquiry.
The Inquiries Chaired by Ombudsman Maiava Iulai Toma confirmed the “significant culture of corruption,” “exploitation” and “sad state of leadership”.
“The significant culture of petty corruption, prisoner ill treatment and exploitation that is flourishing in Tafaigata is directly linked to the absence of prescriptions in Regulations for proper warden conduct and the inability of prison leadership to breach this serous gap,” stated the report.
“Prison staff contempt of ordinary decencies towards prisoners, open disregard of the strict prohibition against alcohol consumption within prison precincts and the creeping abuse of concessions allowed to them as in personal crop plantings on prison land, illustrate the shocking state of profession conduct prevailing in Tafaigata and the inability of prison leadership to impose appropriate standards".
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}