PRT SALAH AD DIN: TIKRIT JAIL CONDITIONS NEED

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 001667 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL IZ SUBJECT: PRT SALAH AD DIN: TIKRIT JAIL CONDITIONS NEED URGENT IMPROVEMENT ¶1. (U) This is a PRT Salah ad Din reporting cable. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Severe overcrowding and lack of hygiene in Salah ad Din (SaD) jails require urgent action. PRT Rule of Law (RoL) coordinator is making this a priority, in cooperation with Iraqi authorities. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (SBU) PRT Rule of Law (RoL) staff have witnessed first-hand gross overcrowding and lack of hygiene in Salah ad Din jails, particularly the Iraqi-administered Tikrit Terrorist Jail (TTJ). Inmates have less than one square meter per person (they sleep on carpets that are rolled up during the day),there is one shower for over 110 inmates, latrines are inadequate in quality and quantity, and inmates get a medical visit only once a month. On the positive side, females and minors are not/not commingled with adult males, and as far as we can tell, inmates are not abused by jailers, though they are subject to abuse by interrogators. ¶4. (SBU) The PRT understands that land has been set aside for a new 1,000-bed jail. Three billion Iraqi Dinars (over USD2.5 million) have been allocated for construction in the 2008 budget and the province intends to request another three billion ID in the 2009 budget. However, ground has not been broken on this project, and there is no expectation that it will be ready before end 2009 at the earliest. ¶5. (SBU) RoL Coordinator is seeking immediate improvements by urging Iraqi authorities to provide portable toilets, expand the TTJ by erecting tenting outdoors, institute inmate screening and classification as part of the intake process, and enhance medical screening and treatment. The RoL Coordinator is also attempting to bring a Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance (DOJ/ICITAP) corrections program to the Iraqi police jailers in SaD in an effort to establish progressive procedures and change the corrections culture. BUTENIS