Corruption Rampant in Damascus Prison

Corruption is rampant in the central jail of Damascus with prisoners resorting to bribery to get by, said the weekly magazine White and Black in a report in its August 9 issue.



The Adra prison is extremely overcrowded with an average of eight prisoners to a cell - most of them jailed on criminal charges in addition to some prisoners of conscience - which was causing disease to spread, the magazine said.



Corruption among the jail’s guards and officials was also widespread, the report said.



It added that the jail’s wardens allowed prisoners to receive visits either with or without surveillance depending on how much they paid. The report said these bribes could range from the equivalent of four to 75 US dollars.



Everything in prison is subject to sale or rent by the officials including beds and sheets, which prisoners could not receive without paying, the report said.



Prisoners were allowed to rent computers in order to watch adult movies or use mobile phones and were also sold drugs, it added.



The report criticised the absence of real rehabilitation programmes, accusing the prisoners’ care association –which is the only organisation licensed to work with detainees - of making profit out of selling food to some prisoners.



The magazine said the discrepancy between poor prisoners and those with money and power was highly noticeable in the Adra jail.



Prisoners continue their illegal activities in jail instead of being punished for their crimes or being reformed, the report said.