New prison rules to include conjugal visits: Volney

New rules approved by the Trinidad & Tobago cabinet will allow the granting of conjugal rights to certain prisoners. 

Justice Minister Herbert Volney made then disclosure Thursday at the post cabinet news briefings. The minister explained that the new policy will allow "a detailed system of communication and visits, which will allow prisoners to communicate with their family, friends and attorneys, including the use of telephone and video visits as well as conjugal and private family visits for convicted criminals who meet eligibility criteria." 

The news rules would address certain “anachronistic and archaic” measures, he said, that date to 1888. 

Volney said the rules would be contained in the Prisons Amendment Bill 2012 and the Prison Rules 2012, which would be before Parliament soon. He explained that the proposed legislation form part of the Government’s move to improve the prisons system. 

He said the new rules would provide for:

• The custody of all inmates to be under human dignity
• a proper system of classification and supervision levels for all prisoners
• the requirements of clothing, food and sleeping accommodation to conform to United Nations standards, where possible
• the provision of adequate medical services that will cater to prisoners with special needs and conditions

the procedures to be adopted for the compulsory testing of HIV and AIDS
He said the new legislation also would provide for a system of privileges to be afforded for the different classes of prisoners, based on a points system to allow prisoners to earn remission or part of remission of their sentences. 

Among other issues covered in the new rules would be mandatory drug-testing, searches and restraints for prisoners. He said the new legislation would benefit prisoners who co-operate. 

 “They won’t be locked up as is the case now and made to serve two-thirds of their sentence without any chance of earlier release,” he said. 

He said a parole policy, which has also been approved, could be implemented by the end of the year.