Roberson Édouard. Several factors are to blame here, the first being failures within the judicial system that are causing overcrowding in prisons and poor detention conditions. The justice system is not fulfilling its duty of differentiating between those in custody who will not face charges and can be released, and those who are suspected of committing a crime and should remain in remand. This is stoking a feeling of revolt within the prison population, with some individuals considering escape.
Another factor contributing to the rise in escapes is the strength of armed gangs in Haïti. When police finally manage to arrest members of these gangs, they don’t spend long behind bars. Prior to the recent breakouts, the coalition of gangs, Viv Ansanm (“Live Together”) announced it would head to the national penitentiary to find its incarcerated members, which is exactly what took place.
Corruption also plays a key role in this issue. Several reports have revealed that prison officers have colluded with gangs or engaged in corrupt behaviour as part of a strategy to relieve overcrowding in prisons. In fact, when the gangs arrived at the national penitentiary to find their members, the entrances to the prison were already open.
Nevertheless, these elements are all circumstantial and should not overshadow what we at the CRESEJ have identified as the leading factor in prison escapes, this being that prison in Haïti does not function as an institution for incarcerating criminals. It is a tool used by the State to exercise what little power it has to intimidate and persecute political opponents as it deems fit. Above all, prison is a means of controlling groups that are considered marginal.
This becomes apparent in the measures taken by the State’s repressive apparatus to surround working-class neighbourhoods, primarily through the presence of law enforcement. The newest police stations and substations have been built in the heart of these neighbourhoods, as a means of telling residents: “Don’t speak out against your living conditions, public policies or any corruption you witness, or else we’ll have you arrested.”
At the CRESEJ, we have looked at the concept of secondary prisonisation, as the weight of incarceration not only rests on the individual in prison, but on their family, friends and social network too. As well as incarcerating individuals, the threat of prison is used to control working-class neighbourhoods through the presence of police officers and the weaponisation of existing relationships between residents and those already behind bars. The idea is to instil in people’s minds that no one is safe from arrest. Our enquiries have highlighted that the government commissioner can decide to persecute someone because of their haircut, if they have dreadlocks, for example, or the way they dress, as if someone’s physical features make them more likely to commit a crime.
It’s because of this that two thirds of Haïti’s prison population is in pre-trial detention. The majority of those arrested for minor offences remain in detention longer than they would if they had received the maximum sentence for the crime they’ve been accused of. The sentence for theft is three to six months, yet some individuals accused of theft are detained for over three years.
Abuses of power and failings within the judicial system are also contributing to the large number of prison escapes. Justice doesn’t lead to prison, so it cannot lead to freedom. It’s like a suction effect, as soon as prisons are empty, the State refills them. When they are overfull, an escape is needed to clear them again. This has been going on since our independence.
