PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF UNODC PRISON ASSESSMENT IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT LOUIS 000002 SIPDIS AF/E FOR MARIA BEYZEROV; L/LEI FOR JENNIFER LANDSIDLE; S/P FOR PETER HARRELL E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV EWWT PHSA PBTS KPIR MARR MP SUBJECT: PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF UNODC PRISON ASSESSMENT IN MAURITIUS REF: A. (A) PORT LOUIS 404 ¶B. (B) PORT LOUIS 410 Classified By: CDA BARRIE WALKLEY FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On December 14, Glenn Ross -- the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) expert on prison and detention facilities -- carried out a capacity assessment review of the Mauritius Central Prison. This assessment was in response to a request by Prime Minister Ramgoolam (ref A). The assessment was followed by a two-day training program for prison guards. Subsequent discussions with GOM representatives addressed prison capacity, prison population, best practices for overcrowded prisons, and potential areas for UNODC assistance. Preliminary assessment results indicate that the Mauritian prison system would be able to accept and house suspected pirate prisoners. Nonetheless, Embassy continues to recommend that we not seek a U.S./Mauritian bilateral prisoner transfer MOU at this time (ref B). END SUMMARY -------------- PRISON FACILITIES -------------- ¶2. (C) UNODC prison expert Glenn Ross undertook an assessment of the Mauritius Central Prison on December 14. As part of the assessment, he met with Attorney General Rama Valayden, Prime Minister's Office Permanent Secretary Mrs. Doreen Fong Weng-Poorun and Commissioner of Prisons Lingama Naicker Vijayanarayanan. The assessment was followed by a two-day training program for twenty-one prison guards and included NGO representatives. ¶3. (C) On December 17, Ross discussed his findings with poloff. He noted that the prison guard-to-prisoner ratio of 1:2 is acceptable and that the detention facilities meet required standards. Ross, however, judged that the officers do not have an adequate skill base, despite an initial six-month training program at recruitment. He suspects that the training programs have not changed much since Mauritius gained independence in 1968. He indicated that the guards lack basic knowledge in cell searching and prisoner handling, and that they would not be ready to handle an emergency event. According to Ross, the Commissioner of Prisons agrees with that assessment. -------------- PRISON CAPACITY -------------- ¶4. (C) Weng-Poorun, in her meeting with Ross, expressed concerns about the capability of the Mauritian prison system to handle additional prisoners. In response, Ross countered that the prison stock/inventory is good and that the Commissioner of Prisons is currently refurbishing the prison and providing additional beds. Ross stressed that he has no concerns regarding the capacity of the prison to cope with approximately 50 pirate suspects, especially since, according to his experience, pirates are not difficult prisoners to manage. Ross further stated that the senior prison staff are "reasonably capable" of maintaining existing systems. However, Ross judges that the staff lack innovation and do not understand their role as leaders. He expressed concern that prison personnel additionally lack the ability to respond to emergencies such as riots, hostage takings, deaths in custody, escapes, etc. -------------- PRISON POPULATION STATISTICS -------------- ¶5. (C) Ross also discussed the make-up of the prison population with Weng-Poorun. According to Mauritian statistics, eighty percent of the prison population is made up of drug-users. As a result, HIV and Hep C will be significant drivers of expenditures for the prison system in the future. Furthermore, recent legislative changes have resulted in massive increases in sentence duration (45-60 years) for a range of offenses. Although Mauritian officials have no reliable figures to accurately quantify the significance of these changes, the logical consequence is an aging prison population which will require access to medical care, thereby driving up medical costs beyond what the penal system can adequately provide. -------------- REDUCING PRISON OVERCROWDING -------------- ¶6. (C) Additionally, Ross addressed errors and best practices for dealing with prison overcrowding. Ross used the example of expedited remand reviews in Kenya to show that progress in reducing prison overcrowding can be made through correctional policy (and not simply by adding more beds). Ross advised Weng-Poorun that the number of specialist positions in the Mauritian prison system is extremely low (12 welfare officers for the entire prison population),reducing the capacity for accurate reports on which to base parole decisions. -------------- -- POTENTIAL AREAS FOR UNODC CONTRIBUTIONS/SUPPORT -------------- -- ¶7. (C) Ross and Weng-Poorun discussed possible UNODC assistance in several areas, including emergency management planning and training; senior staff development; strategies for sentence reduction; and inspection frameworks and standards. ¶8. (C) COMMENT: The prison assessment (the first of three capacity assessment reviews to be performed by UNODC) confirmed that, while there may be a few problem areas, the Mauritius prison system has the potential to reach UN standards. Embassy continues to recommend, however, that we wait for the outcome of the GOM's plan to secure a pirate transfer/prosecution agreement with UNODC before pursuing a separate U.S./Mauritius bilateral MOU (ref B). END COMMENT WALKLEY