The prison situation in Haiti has deteriorated significantly. Of the 24 detention centers in Haiti's 18 jurisdictions, only 14 remain "operational". The other 10 centers have been destroyed or are abandoned, Marie Yolène Gilles of the Fondasyon Je Klere (FJKL) reported on a radio station in the capital.

Overcrowding and overcrowding are the rule in these 10 detention centers. A total of 7,178 detainees are held, including 349 women, 234 boys, and 24 minor girls. Of these, only 1,335 have been tried and sentenced, with the rest serving extended pretrial detention...

"Since the graduation of the 30th class of the Haitian National Police (2019), the Prison Administrative Directorate (DAP) has not recruited any additional officers due to a lack of candidates," lamented Ms. Gilles, specifying that the prison system is facing an aging and insufficient staff. Only 700 officers are available for all inmates nationwide. Furthermore, the DAP has only three doctors for the 14 detention centers still in operation, which are concentrated in Port-au-Prince.

TB/ iciHaiti