Deafening silence on prison shocker

The Editor, Sir:

Last week, The Gleaner revealed some shocking happenings in local prisons, and the reports highlighted that the commissioner of corrections had not responded to questions from the newspaper in over a month. Who is running our prisons? How long does it take to answer a few questions? Why is the commissioner hiding? Does she realise she is a public servant and answerable to the people? Does she realise she can't simply sit back and let it all blow over?

In any sensible country, an official could not remain in apparent hiding after such explosive issues are highlighted under his/her watch. Her prolonged silence, even after these things have been brought to light, suggests that she is either too busy to handle the job or she doesn't care enough. Where is the minister of national security? Are the prisons on autopilot?

The issues highlighted last week are rather serious, and I hope The Gleaner doesn't allow them to get swept under a rug. These are the types of stories and issues we need to see more of in the papers.

Please awaken the commissioner and the security minister and, I dare say, the prime minister.

Adrian Mitchell

Kingston