On Friday we reported on prisoner Lionel Sampson who was stabbed to the neck and back and admitted to hospital. That happened at 11 on Friday and a few hours later, the Police the BDF and prison security swept through the prison using heavy force.
Today CEO of the prison Marlon Skeen confirmed that Lionel Sampson was stabbed by Harland Ramos while the two were on recreation in the max medium section of the prison. That stabbing was preceded by another, one week earlier when Erlin White stabbed Osborne Anderson three times. Skeen says that because of the two stabbings inside the max medium section, the prison authority decided to sweep the facility for weapons known as "boras" which are makeshift daggers crafted from bucket handles, screwdrivers and other items.
Skeen says the ADU and the BDF searched cells in the remand and max medium section of the prison. At the end of this Skeen claims they had hauled in a wheelbarrow full of weapons, though he didn't offer to show them to us.
As for reports of excessive force being used during the raid, Skeen admitted that what he calls necessary force was used to subdue some prisoners who he says did not ant the team conduct searches. According to Skeen, this led to only minor injuries for which they were treated within the prison with pain relievers. Family accounts reaching our newsroom dispute that account, saying that excessive force was used indiscriminately and that individual prisoners were targeted for physical punishment.
In all this back and forth, the one view that is not represented is the prisoners, who cannot contact the media. The end result is that Harland Ramos has been charged with attempted murder. His victim has also been charged because when Lionel Sampson was brought back to the prison on Sunday after being released from hospital, a search yielded a catch of marijuana hidden in his groin area. He will be charged with drug trafficking.
