Correctional Service

They say, you just got to ‘Receive God's healing from painful memories’, this was told in unison by Correctional Service members of the Beon jail in Madang yesterday.

Every year, just as on ANZAC and Remembrance Day, CS officers nationwide also commemorate their comrades who served during the civil crisis on Bougainville. Each province hosts according to their marked dates, for Madang’s Beon CS, it falls on January 17th. 

This building is funded by Correctional Service, who have sourced materials from Atlas Steel in Lae. The building is currently being constructed by Atlas Steel Ltd with an agreement which included seven local men and three detainees, this is according to Beon Correctional Service Commander, Jackson Gubag.

The building has been demolished with new interiors built. Today, they have started putting up the iron roofing, a significant phase of the development for CS and its officers, as the building takes shape.

Parolee Sam Tom, from a mixed parentage of Milne Bay Province and Autonomous Region of Bougainville, will be releasing his second album titled ‘Nations’.

The recently recorded music album has twelve songs. Out of these 12 songs, four songs were selected and music video clips have been done for these four songs.

“Out of these twelve songs, the studio engineers picked out four songs that stood out and suggested that these songs will be a hit, so with that, I went on to do a video clip for those four songs,” said Tom.

In a short presentation at the Correctional Service Headquarters early last week, Corporal Yohang presented samples of uniforms for CS officers and inmates.

Corporal Yohang was sponsored in 2018 by the Correctional Service Department to undergo a year’s training in Government Textiles at the Small Industries Centre. Small Industries Centre is a division within the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Corporation located in Port Moresby, which focuses on the making of craft, artisans and government tailoring.

CS was given the directive by the government in 2014 to conduct a legislative review on the CS legislation. And so, the consultation on the legislative review started in November 2017 with the purpose of reviewing the CS legislation in order to reorganise and restructure the organisation.

The 25-year-old officer appeared at the Lorengau District Court on Monday and has been allowed court bail of K400.

The case against the man from Sanaroa village, in the Esa’ala district of Milne Bay Province, was adjourned from Monday to February 20^th.

The officer, currently attached with Correctional Service in Lorengau, allegedly hit a 22-year-old woman using a piece of iron rod and grass knife handle on December 31^st, 2018.

The review has seen 79 recommendations compiled, which will be submitted to NEC by the minister responsible.

The prison review commenced in 2017 after funding was made available to the Correctional Service from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Justice Services & Stability for Development Program (JSS4D) programs of the Australian government.

Bomana, Baisu, Beru and Beon were along prisons visited for recommendations to be made that will assist with a modernisation program for prisons around the country.

Acting CS Commissioner, Stephen Pokanis, says he is putting a stop to all these distasteful comments and jokes that usually follow reports of mass breakouts.

During today’s Correctional Service workshop in Port Moresby, the Acting CS Commissioner said the days of incompetence are numbered.

Following the escape of over 30 prisoners at West New Britain’s jail yesterday, Stephen Pokanis said actions will be taken against incompetent officers.

Minister for Correctional Service, Roy Biyama announced this today, an hour after Ben Nepo went to the media, claiming to be taking over from Commissioner Michael Waipo, whose contract came to an end on Monday, September 24 20-18.

Michael Waipo’s 43 years in the Correctional Service came to an end yesterday, when he reached the end of his term as commissioner, after four years. 

Morgan was not at his bed at the Port Moresby General Hospital when the removal was taking place last week Wednesday.

In an interview with this newsroom, Bomana CS Jail Commander, Haraha Keko said they are have not captured the lose detainee as yet nor has he returned.

“Right now we have a commissioner’s team with us. We will have a report prepared for the police and let police take over from there,” Keko says.

He said both the police and general will be made aware of the information and that will help the team to recapture him.