A convicted inmate speaks of the abuses endured at the prison.
NASSAU-Each day, I arise to find myself in a state of utter turmoil.
A cramped 6-foot by 10-foot cell that I share with three other men is my home.
There’s no bedding, no toilet, nothing.
You probably don’t care. You’re saying prison isn’t the Ritz Carlton, it’s supposed to be hard.
But, we’re all here for different things. Whether you’re awaiting trial, convicted or here for an unpaid traffic fine, the conditions are the same.
In here, you lose our identity; you’re treated like you’re less than human. The guards don’t refer to you by your name. They call you criminal.
What’s really criminal is the way that they treat us. They beat inmates for nothing and face no consequences. You could die waiting to see a doctor in here. Some people already have.
Air-conditioned cells, but no toilets
Commissioner Charles Murphy and the Minister have been bragging to the media about the improvements at the prison.
They’ve tiled the floors and installed air conditioning in maximum security.
I really don’t understand why they would waste taxpayers’ money like that. I’d take a toilet over fancy floors and an air conditioner any day.
Who’s the real beneficiary of this work? Did this contract go out to tender?
We sleep on strips of cardboard. A Tampico bottle serves as a urinal.
My “toilet” is a five-gallon bucket and a plastic bag. The lid on the bucket does little to contain the stench.
To take a shower, I stand in garbage bag in the corner of my cell.
I put water in another Tampico bottle to shower.
Then, I pour the water that was caught on the bag into a five-gallon bucket.
Food shortages
The food is prepared in a filthy kitchen. The servers drag pots and buckets filled with food across the floor. They use a cup to scoop out our paltry rations. There are a lot of fights here because there isn’t enough food.
They give us a lot of bread here.
In another example of Murphy wasting taxpayers’ money, the prison no longer bakes its own bread. They spend close to $500,000 per year on bread.
Who’s benefiting from this?
The prison has changed its name to the Department of Corrections. But there’s nothing constructive to do here, so we pass the time talking about crime.
Human Rights violations
Commissioner Murphy told a blatant lie when he told the media that inmates aren’t mistreated.
Amnesty International and the U.S. in its state reports have for years condemned the inhumane conditions at the prison.
In recent years, the prison has refused these groups permission to see the appalling prison conditions for themselves.
This is why Commissioner Murphy, a deacon, can lie stone-faced to the public about the conditions at the prison.
This prison needs the attention of the Bahamian people.
We won’t be caged forever and the brutality we endure affects all citizens as there is no reform.
You’re probably wondering where I got this phone. I got it from one of the criminals that work here.
