News
Female inmates remove phones from body cavities
Instruments found in vaginas during prison search
BY DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE Observer staff reporter husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, July 16, 2010
COMMISSIONER of Corrections, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Prendergast has confirmed that cell phones have been discovered in the vaginas of inmates at the Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Facility.
Following a sweep of the all-female prison recently, five cellular phones, including high-end camera phones, were reportedly found hidden in inmates’ body cavities. According to a source inside the facility, the inserted phones had been wrapped in tissue and tied in plastic.
A number of inmates have expressed their anger and have called into question the legality of correctional officers performing cavity searches.
“It is not right for officers to feel for cell phones!” one angry inmate said in an interview. “You are suppose to strip, stoop and cough, but they are not suppose to touch you. So how come they pushing they hand up inside of you?”
But Prendergast has denied that the cavity searches were performed and that the phones removed by correctional officers.
“Of course correctional officers are allowed to touch the inmates,” he said. “However, they are not allowed to do body cavity searches.”
He explained that in an effort to intensify search of the facility, hand-held metal detectors were brought in and the devices discovered.
“We had a case where a number of the females were found to be hiding cell phones in certain body cavities. Now how did this come to our attention? We brought in hand-held metal detectors and obviously if the metal detector goes off and they have on flimsy clothing then something must be hidden where the eyes can’t see it. Once the discovery was made, a number of the inmates decided to take the items out themselves. But there were a few who refused to take the items out and so we got a vehicle with the intention of taking them to the KPH to have a doctor conduct the searches for us. Certainly not our staff, but a doctor at the KPH,” he explained.
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7/17/2010
@Elli Deedo: What is wrong with the inmates having their Phones? I don't know what planet your from if you cannot seen the obvious dangers with inmates having access to mobile phones. I guess you haven't heard of these thugs running their criminal enterprise from behind bars and order hits on their rivals & witnesses while in custody.
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If these females want to speak to their children or have any sense of normalcy then they should not put themselves in the position to be arrested.....right?
7/16/2010
"keep their sanity"? sane people know why they will go to prison and they try to stay out of there.
7/16/2010
Mr. Bolt...why drive when you can....FLY...blessings my brethren...you have brought pride to many many many Jamaicans.
7/16/2010
This is to advise People to stay away from those Nasty in-humane institutions, which are run by a bunch of Swines. Women are oftin times abused in those insanitary institutions. And the most of who are there, is only because they are Poor, it's a disgrace on the Government. Just when are they going to clean up their dirty acts of In-justice?. Some who should go to prison, have bought their way out..through Corruption..leaving the Poor to go. Is this not very Nasty of the Government?:)
7/16/2010
What is wrong with the inmates having their Phones?". Government have no Beds for the inmates, not as much as food. These people need to speak with their Families, some have Children´. Is government allowing them free Phone calls to their families?. Not as much as Phones they are not allowed..I understand they do not have bath Soaps. Some are sleeping on Concrete in the Jails. The Admin, should be ashamed of their in-humane attitude towards their People. They are sick, (disturbing.)
7/16/2010
I've heard from some Vietnam vets that some of the Vietnamese women hid weapons, including razors in the same place in order to hurt the Americans. Women can be very daring.
7/16/2010
Now we know where Dudus was hiding for over a month!! I wonder why he left his hiding place? Hmmmmm
7/16/2010
Ian Francis...interesting facts. An older relative living in England tells me about such things. Women in those days were used to carry out the most atrocious acts against the enemies.
7/16/2010
Come on, we all know women can't do without cell phones. Plus female criminals have families too. I think the cell phones help them keep their sanity.
7/16/2010
Too many rights for criminals today.
They may have killed someone, but don't touch them?
Your liberal human rights groups at work.
At least they didn't find Dudus in any of those skunk-holes.
7/16/2010
Won't be the first time - During WW2, a female British spy stored a .45 caliber pistol, a spare clip and the required crystals for her radio transmitter in her womb, while carrying on a romance with a German Gestapo Colonel!! Pretty ingenious I'd say!
And people claim women are the weaker sex!!
7/16/2010
Well since most of these prisoners are drug smugglers anyway those body cavities are used to transport material and dont forget the bigger they are the more stuff they can carry. Take a bow Jamaican males you guys are big and broad.
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