ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) – A High Court judge here has called on the prisons to stop the unlawful practice of reducing prison sentences without the authority of the court.

The Online Dominica publication, Da Vibes, said Justice Errol Thomas issued the instructions to the “prison judge” at the official closing of the 2015 September Criminal Session over the weekend.

According to Da Vibes the instruction was given to the acting Superintendent of Prisons, Raphael Catin following his annual report on the State prison.

Catin said that upon the arrival at the prisons, the convicted person is given a one third reduction to the sentence and is only re-imposed if the prisoner during his stay at the institution misbehaves.

“The only person authorized to reduce a sentence is the judge. No prison judge or officer has the right to reduce any sentence as soon as a prisoner enters the prison… it’s unlawful… that cannot be right. You are undermining the judgement of the court,” Justice Thomas said.

But Catin, who tried to justified the practice, told the court “it’s been happening for 31 years… if it’s a bad practice, it bad long time”.

However Justice Thomas said that it appears that as soon as a prisoner walks into the prison the officers can already tell that the prisoner is going to be good.

He reiterated his point of the unlawful nature of the practice, demanded that it ends immediately.