VZCZCXRO4222
RR RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #1180/01 2321822
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191822Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8708
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 2023
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 0204
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 1803
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC 1226
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1587

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 001180 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR 
INL FOR KEVIN BROWN, ANGELIC YOUNG AND DON STOLWORTHY 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA 
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCOR PGOV PHUM PREL SNAR SOCI HA
SUBJECT: HAITI CORRECTIONS AND PRISONS UPDATE 
 
PORT AU PR 00001180  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified - please 
protect accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (U)  Summary:  227 new corrections officers graduated 
from the Police Academy on July 18 under a cloud of 
controversy and amid an on-going investigation of recruitment 
practices.  Changes in personnel at the Men's Penitentiary 
occur as the population approaches 3800.  Two prison escapes 
highlight the poor security and infrastructure of the 
nation's prisons.  The GOH is moving forward with prison 
construction plans with the help of international partners. 
End summary. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Corrections Officers Graduate 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U)  On July 18, 227 new corrections officers graduated 
from training at the Police Academy to join the ranks of the 
Haitian National Police (HNP).  As corrections is part of the 
HNP, all corrections officers are technically police officers 
as well.  In a departure from the tradition of multiple 
speakers from the GOH and the international community at such 
ceremonies, just two HNP officials spoke at the graduation 
ceremony: Academy Director Maxime and HNP Director General 
Mario Andresol.  Director Maxime focused on the rule of law, 
anti-corruption, and human rights, particularly the need to 
respect and protect prisoners' rights.  In addition to 
ensuring the safety of the prisoners, he emphasized that the 
officers' duty was to assure the security of society. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  In a surprisingly frank speech, DG Andresol 
welcomed the new officers and then blasted the HNP Direction 
of Penitentiary Administration (DAP) for the way in which the 
class was recruited.  He called the process badly flawed and 
stated that an investigation was on-going.  He linked this to 
the fight against internal corruption and announced that he 
had dismissed 19 from the class already and that perhaps 
others would follow.  He emphasized that this group was the 
first class of corrections officers to get full training as 
HNP officers and that, as such, they must respect the HNP 
rules.  He urged them to resist corruption, respect the law, 
and promote the police as a public institution that the 
Haitian people can trust.  He also appealed to the 
international community to assist Haiti in improving its 
prison infrastructure and the conditions of detention. 
(Comment: HNP sources told NAS Director they believe this 
corrections class fiasco may cost the Director of DAP his job 
in spite of his political connections.  NAS had agreed to 
provide uniforms for the class but was unable to do so as the 
DAP failed to provide the cadets' personal information to 
allow Post to conduct required Leahy vetting.  It appears DAP 
was worried about what may be uncovered if the U.S. undertook 
vetting of any kind.  End comment.) 
 
------------------------------------- 
National Penitentiary Update 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U)  As of August 17, the inmate count at the Men's 
Penitentiary stood at 3,799, almost four times the capacity 
of the facility.  The severe overcrowding has led to numerous 
fights among the inmates, with some injuries resulting.  The 
high population is also straining the already poor 
infrastructure, with the kitchen being too small to feed such 
large numbers and the intake area now being used to house 
prisoners.  Post has ordered equipment to help ease some of 
the pressure on the kitchen and a project to upgrade the 
infirmary and build an isolation ward for TB and other 
contagious priosners is being finalized.  In response to the 
problems in the prison, a new Director, Olmaille Bien-Aime, 
and new Head of Operations have been appointed.  However, 
given the limited resources and the rate at which prisoners 
continue to enter the facility (approx. 100 per month), it is 
doubtful they will be able to have much impact on living 
conditions.  The MINUSTAH U.S. Corrections Officer assigned 
to that facility continues to supervise the Titanic Plus 
 
PORT AU PR 00001180  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
project to improve sanitation in the largest cell block, a 
project privately funded by two U.S. doctors.  NAS/INL 
Corrections Advisor is working with the DAP and MINUSTAH 
engineers to obtain sanitation plans that will be used by NAS 
and USAID to move other sanitation and health projects 
forward. 
 
------------------- 
Prison Escapes 
------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U)  On the night of June 29, 16 prisoners escaped from 
the prison in Carrefour.  Security at the prison was lax due 
to short staffing and construction at the prison site that 
had allowed easy access to the exterior.  Among those who 
escaped were individuals charged with rape, attempted murder, 
murder, kidnapping and car theft, none of which have been 
apprehended.  On July 7, ten prisoners escaped from the 
prison at Grande Riviere du Nord by overpowering the guard 
serving lunch.  Seven were recaptured.  The HNP were able to 
respond quickly in this case as the police station is next to 
the prison.  Positive repercussions from the prison escape 
this spring in Cap Haitien are being felt as the DAP has 
undertaken a training program in all three northern prisons 
to focus on appropriate security measures to prevent further 
escapes. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Future Prison Construction Plans 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶7.  (U)  The Government of Haiti (GOH) recently decided to 
locate a multi-purpose prison complex approximately 0 
kilometers outside Port au Prince at Morne-a-Cbrit.  The 
site lacks all basic services, includig power grid, water 
wells, sewage disposal, and oads.  In addition, it appears 
to lie at least prtially within a flood plain.  The GOH has 
decidd to trade a much smaller plot of land in the rapily 
developing Tabarre area (site of the new U.S. mbassy) for 
the 200 acre plot.  Four prisons - fr 800 men, 250 women, 
200 male juveniles, and 10 female juveniles - will 
ultimately be constructd there.  The U.S. is working with 
the GOH on plns for the female prison, a priority group 
neeing attention.  In the interim before construction at 
Morne-a-Cabrit is possible, NAS will provide a generator to 
the current women's facility in Petionville (the facility has 
been without a working generator for over a year) and will 
construct a small area to house pregnant women and nursing 
mothers (under Haitian law newborns remain with the mothers 
for three months within the prison).  NAS will also construct 
a recreation area and multipurpose room at the male juvenile 
facility to allow for more extensive vocational and 
recreational activities there.  The male juvenile facility is 
the best run, due to the involvement of an influential 
Haitian businesswoman, and recently had 29 juveniles 
successfully pass the national exams for completion of either 
elementary education or the fundamental mid-level education 
cycle. 
 
SANDERSON