U.S. responsible for deplorable conditions in Haitian prisons
U.S. responsible for deplorable conditions in Haitian prisons
By James Patrick Jordan Note: This article, first published by Black Agenda Report, has been edited for the May 25, 2023, print issue of Workers World. Read in full at tinyurl.com/yck3k98y. Three prisoners in the U.S.-built prison in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, starved to death between Aug. 23 and Sep
The vast majority of those imprisoned at Petit-Goâve and throughout the Haitian prison system have not yet been tried or convicted of a crime. In fact, of a prison population of 11,580 persons as of May 2021, only 2,071 had been sentenced. Across Haiti, there were an estimated 80 to 100 prisoners who died of malnutrition and lack of medical care nationwide last year.
The United States has funded the construction of four prisons in Haiti since 2013. However, given its dominant influence over and funding of the Haitian National Police and its prison system, the U.S. bears responsibility for the deplorable conditions that characterize all of Haitian jails today.