Tyrone Reid, Staff ReporterRAPISTS AND sex offenders are shown no mercy by other prisoners in local penal institutions. They are bullied and beaten by their peers. Fellow inmates show no respect to convicted rapists and individuals sentenced for other sexual offences, such as carnal abuse, incest and buggery.
Commissioner of Corrections, Major Richard Reese, told The Sunday Gleaner that sex offenders are the scum of the island's penal institutions.
"They are looked down on ... Sex offenders are rated by other inmates in the lowest order," he said.
While Commissioner Reese could not explain the rationale behind the belittlement of these felons, he said it is an international practice within penal institutions.
NO ESCAPE
There is no escaping it. Commissioner Reese, who has observed the situation over the years, said that incoming inmates need not attempt to hide what they have been convicted for, as prisoners who keep tabs on the media and get information from outside sources, know their rap sheets beforehand. "Everybody knows what you are in for. They usually know before you come," he said.
Commissioner Reese explained that the disdain with which the sexual offenders are treated is usually accompanied by beatings, as other inmates view them as easy prey. "They are more susceptible to violence as they are targeted by other inmates," he said.
The commissioner said if a sex offender crosses the line, he could be killed. "If a person is a sex offender, the possibility exists that he could 'approach' another prisoner, and if he does, he could lose his life," he said.
The 'show no mercy' view also exists beyond prison walls, especially among women. "I agree. I strongly believe that a man who violates a woman in that way should be castrated," said Yolande Simpson.
The outspoken 31-year-old added that she hoped the beatings and other harsh treatment meted out to sex offenders served as a deterrent to them committing the crime a second time around. "I am hoping that they learn their lesson. I hope the treatment would reinforce that it is utterly wrong to invade a woman like that," she said.
Rapists behind prison walls
Being a rather small minority of the prison population, rapists do not have much of a defence mechanism behind the steel bars.
In 2002, of the total 2,669 admissions into the nation's penal institutions for various offences only 39 were for rape.In 2003, the rape convicts jumped to 46 out of a total 2,313. In 2004, the conviction figure remained at 46 while the total number of persons serving time was reduced to 2,160. As at October 28, 2005, the prison population stood at 4,465.
