Dear Editor,

While the removal of June Spence-Jarrett from her post as commissioner of corrections is for patent neglect of duty, this should not be the only casualty of this dreadful affair. I may have misunderstood your report, but I gather that 23 girls were housed in a space 20’x12′ with only 14 mattresses.

If this is true, it borders on a criminal act for which someone must be charged. It is almost as if these kids were being thrown away instead of being rehabilitated. After all, this was dubbed as a correctional institution. Precisely what were we correcting? Why, even in the most crowded feedlot, cows would have more space than that. Who was inspecting the facilities? How long were these girls held in this condition? Did Spence-Jarret ever ask for resources to correct this situation? In other words, why did it take a riot, ending in a catastrophe, to recognise the problem? Indeed, the house cleaning must start at the top and everyone who should have known about this situation must suffer the consequences. This tragedy must never be allowed to recur and this is why the system must be fixed from top to bottom.

C Don Palmer

Canada

udonpalmer@yahoo.com