The cost of transporting prisoners to and from prisons in Trinidad and Tobago is one million dollars a month and one company was paid nearly $100 million to handle transportation over a 7-year period.
This was revealed in the House of Representatives Wednesday by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan as he presented a bill to have the time frame for prisoners brought to the court increased from eight days to 28 days.
Ramlogan pointed out that under the current act a "magistrate is empowered to remand an accused person without his consent for a maximum period of eight and ten days respectively".
He explained that when that period ends the accused must be transported to and from court every eight or ten days. "The magistrate cannot allow them to remain in prison for a longer period of time. They must be brought back," Ramlogan said.
He told legislators that it is clear that the existing time frame is not adequate because it does not allow enough time for prosecutors to get ready to try a case. And he said that creates the need for transporting prisoners "to the length and breath of Trinidad and Tobago to all the courts at great cost to taxpayers," he said.
Ramlogan said the state paid close to $100 million to Amalgamated Security Services Limited between 2002-2009 to transport prisoners. He said the Government's proposed changes will cut that cost by $12 million a year.
He also spoke of plans for video conference technology to have cases heard without having the exorbitant transportation costs.
This was revealed in the House of Representatives Wednesday by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan as he presented a bill to have the time frame for prisoners brought to the court increased from eight days to 28 days.
Ramlogan pointed out that under the current act a "magistrate is empowered to remand an accused person without his consent for a maximum period of eight and ten days respectively".
He explained that when that period ends the accused must be transported to and from court every eight or ten days. "The magistrate cannot allow them to remain in prison for a longer period of time. They must be brought back," Ramlogan said.
He told legislators that it is clear that the existing time frame is not adequate because it does not allow enough time for prosecutors to get ready to try a case. And he said that creates the need for transporting prisoners "to the length and breath of Trinidad and Tobago to all the courts at great cost to taxpayers," he said.
Ramlogan said the state paid close to $100 million to Amalgamated Security Services Limited between 2002-2009 to transport prisoners. He said the Government's proposed changes will cut that cost by $12 million a year.
He also spoke of plans for video conference technology to have cases heard without having the exorbitant transportation costs.
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