A/HRC/16/52/Add.3
the Hospital of Tower Street Correctional Institution (see below). He strongly urges the
Government of Jamaica to conduct a thorough investigation into all complaints documented
in this report and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Individual cases
Correctional officers
29.
Damian Lawrence, aged 23, correctional officer injured during the riot. He was a
member of the patrol team, so when the riot started he was outside when he heard the
whistle blowing. He saw the fire, numerous officers and most of the inmates out of their
cells. The firemen arrived and since he had a shield and a baton he went inside with them.
An inmate threw a security camera at him from the second floor. He fell down and had a
blackout. The inmates were also throwing liquids and other objects. In the front, there were
too many officers and the fire was too strong for inmates to escape, so they had to exit from
the back, still throwing improvised weapons. He hit quite a few inmates and went to the top
floor, where inmates were trying to access the roof to escape, but when he was hit by a
piece of concrete on his knee, he decided to leave and go to the doctor. In SP 18, where the
unrest started, a lot of contraband (marijuana, knives, cell phones, etc.) was circulating.
Incidents of this type were very rare. He thought that the water shortage might have led to
the riot. The inmates complained that they were not getting enough water for the showers.
The water was brought by trucks and was used both for showers and drinking, but the
trucks were not as frequent and the only water left was for drinking.
30.
Mickloth Hutchinson, correctional officer, had been working in the section
concerned on the day of the unrest. He had been hit on the back once by an unidentified
object and fell, but was able to get up again immediately. He felt pain and had received
painkillers. The doctor who came to the remand centre after the unrest was very busy with
all the other severely injured persons. He had suffered a minor scratch on the back, which
he did not want to show to the forensic expert. He was back at work the next day. He did
not know what hit him in the back, or who threw the object. He was not aware of any
investigations and wanted to leave this to the responsible authorities. The unrest was
triggered by newly-applied tighter security rules that were in force for approximately one
month. According to these rules, the supply of marijuana and the use of cell phones were
strictly prohibited. After some of the detainees had started to riot, he had gone downstairs to
get his riot shield and headgear. Additionally, the Jamaica Defence Force was called in for
support. 12 police officers and 10 soldiers were deployed inside the cell area; others
guarded the outside area. Detainees had to be restrained through the use of shields and
batons. The unrest lasted for 30 to 45 minutes. The detainees had lit a fire, which was
extinguished by fire fighters. No teargas or pepper spray had been used. When he reached
the scene, some of the detainees had apparently been injured by other detainees because
they had refused to participate in the unrest. One of his colleagues had received a blow to
his eye and was on sick leave for 14 days.
Medical wing
31.
Those detainees who had serious injuries had been transferred to the Kingston
Public Hospital or to the two prison hospitals at St. Catherine and Tower Street prisons.
Adults and juveniles were held together in the Medical Wing, but not women.
32.
Raymond Morgan, aged 51, had already been detained in the medical wing when
the disturbances happened and described them as an outsider. He had been arrested on 20
June 2009 and held in Kingston Central Police Station until 13 August 2009, when he was
moved to Horizon. He had not been subjected to any physical abuse. He described the
general conditions at Horizon as continually deteriorating and the Superintendent as
25
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