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

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PRISON FACILITIES
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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.

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PRISON CAPACITY
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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.

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PRISON POPULATION STATISTICS
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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.

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REDUCING PRISON OVERCROWDING
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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.

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POTENTIAL AREAS FOR UNODC CONTRIBUTIONS/SUPPORT
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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