The T&T Prison Service has suspended all online transfers and deposits to its Republic Bank account, following the discovery of a series of fraudulent transactions by prisoners accessing the canteen service.
Last year, the Prison Service introduced its Commissary Service due to restrictions arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the COVID-19 guidelines implemented, provisions have been made so that friends and family members can deposit funds to their loved ones’ accounts without having to visit the facility,” the Prison Service stated.
It was meant to help the loved ones of prisoners send money through Republic Bank so the inmates could access the canteen facility more easily.
A commissary or canteen is a store within a facility from which offenders can purchase a variety of food and personal items.
This is facilitated through a system whereby monetary accounts are created for offenders. Friends and family members can deposit money into the accounts to allow for the purchase of items from the commissary.
This facility is available to both remanded and convicted offenders.
The process for the Commissary System was simple enough.
People interested in sending funds for the inmates just had to deposit the funds to the Prison Services Recreational Sports and Cultural Club at Republic Bank, with the name of the inmate as well as the prison they are in. The maximum amount allowed per month is $1,200.
The depositors would then send a picture of the receipt via WhatsApp to the Prison Service’s Communications Department or the Canteen Office.
However, some people found a loophole in the process and have been taking advantage of it.
“Some customers were attempting fraudulent activities, where they were photocopying receipts and submitting it to us to sort of get twice and even three times the amount of money that was deposited,” acting Prisons Commissioner Deopersad Ramoutar told Guardian Media in a telephone interview yesterday.
“We thought that was the end of the matter but it kept happening frequently.”
He said the T&T Police Service and Republic Bank officials are now investigating the matter.
“We have temporarily suspended that service and returned to the conventional form for the canteen,” he said.
Now, people wishing to deposit money for their loved ones to use in the prison canteen can only do so using either cash or Linx by visiting the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca.
Ramoutar said the online Commissary System was being used by the loved ones of inmates.
“The system is oversubscribed. People apparently love their inmates on the inside quite a lot and we are trying to manage as best in meeting the needs,” Ramoutar said.
“There are times when the inmates complain they are not getting their items quickly enough, we have a three-day waiting period and they have assigned more staff to work much more quickly on that,” he added.
Ramoutar said he is certain the situation will be rectified.
On August 20, then commissioner of prisons, Dennis Pulchan, unveiled and officially declared the Golden Grove Canteen Extension “open for business.”
Pulchan had said the COVID-19 pandemic brought the need for increased variety, stock and space became more evident.
