Haiti’s criminal justice system attracted international attention following the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010. The destruction wrought by the quake worsened already severe overcrowding , extreme violence, and widespread disease in Haiti’s prison. The nation’s already broken justice system became even more backlogged, leaving many imprisoned for long periods before even seeing a judge or being officially convicted of a crime. The killings of more than one dozen inmates at Les Cayes prison on January 19, 2010, while the ground was still trembling, focused the media spotlight on the horrendous conditions and violence endemic in Haiti’s prisons. Two years later to the day, Haiti’s criminal justice system again blipped on the international media’s radar as eight of the fourteen police officers tried for the prison massacre were found guilty. Most recently it has been reported to the Associated Press that the United States government plans to build two new prisons (one for men, one for women) on the island in an effort to relieve the continued overcrowding, disease, and violence in Haitian prisons.
How helpful will two new prisons be in ameliorating conditions for Haiti’s inmates? Is this a band-aid solution? Are band-aid solutions better than nothing? How will these new facilities work toward fixing the problems with Haiti’s criminal justice system? Is it surprising that this is the solution offered by the United States government?
Several articles on Haiti’s prisons and criminal justice system:
Trenton Daniel, “US Plans to Build 2 Prisons in Haiti’s Provinces,” Associated Press. February 15, 2013.
http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/us-plans-build-2-prisons-haitis-provinces
Deborah Sontag and Walt Bogdanich, “Escape Attempt Led to Killings of Unarmed Inmates,” The New York Times. May 22, 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/world/americas/23haiti.html
After the January earthquake, when the Haitian police stormed a prison, they fatally shot at least 12 detainees, a New York Times investigation found.
Brent McDonald, Erick Olsen, “The Killings at Les Cayes Prison,” Video. The New York Times. May 22, 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/video/2010/05/22/world/americas/1247467900501/the-killings-at-les-cayes-prison.html
When the Haitian police stormed a prison after rioting in January, they fatally shot at least 12 detainees and wounded 40 others, a New York Times investigation found.
Deborah Sontag and Walt Bogdanich, “8 Guilty for Prison Massacre in Rare Trial of Haiti’s Police,” The New York Times. January 19, 2012.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/world/americas/7-haitian-policemen-convicted-in-2011-les-cayes-prison-killings.html
The convicted police officers were among 14 tried for a prison massacre that occurred a week after the 2010 earthquake.
Henri E. Cauvin, “Haitian Earthquake Upends Country’s Criminal Justice System,” The Washington Post.February 7, 2010.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/06/AR2010020602047.html
Inmages at the prison at Les Cayes, Haiti in January 2010. Photo from The New York Times.
Of all the things Haiti needs–we’re going to build prisons. It’s a cruel joke. How about release plans and figuring out who is really dangerous? It is not that I oppose improving prison conditions, but let’s figure out how much imprisonment a country needs before we start construction.