Senior Reporter
anna-lisa.paul@guardian.co.tt
The Maximum Security Prison (MSP) at Golden Grove Road, Piarco, was locked down yesterday, as security searches continued at all prison facilities following an outbreak of violence on Saturday which left one inmate dead and several others wounded.
Inmate Brent Baptiste was stabbed to death during a clash between rival gangs, who used improvised weapons during their scuffles.
On Saturday, acting Prisons Commissioner Carlos Corraspe confirmed security protocols had been reviewed and reinforced across all correctional institutions following the incident.
Along with the MSP, the Prison Service is responsible for the Port-of-Spain Prison, the Carrera Convict Prison, the Women’s Prison, the Eastern Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre and the Tobago Convict Depot.
Deputy Police Commissioner, Intelligence and Investigations Suzette Martin said a full-scale investigation had been launched into the circumstances surrounding the violence.
Contacted yesterday for an update on claims that prison authorities had been attempting to separate members of warring gangs within the prison walls to avoid further outbreaks of violence, a senior prison official said, “You need space to separate people. We have no space.”
Meanwhile, investigations are continuing into the discovery of a loaded pistol in a prison block at the MSP on April 2.
Acting on information, law enforcement agents conducted a thorough search between noon and 7.30 pm last Wednesday and recovered the gun and seven rounds of 9 mm ammunition, along with seven cell phones and ten improvised weapons.
A similar search was carried out at the Port-of-Spain Prison on April 3, where several cellphones and a number of improvised weapons and illegal drugs were found.