Members of the public in Lae have called on the courts and Police Prosecution to fast track court cases of inmates at Lae’s Buimo Prison.
This follows the escape of 47 prisoners over the weekend, 11 of whom were shot dead during the escape.
A group of youths condemned the killing of the 11 prisoners last week Friday.
Samson Jack, a juvenile detainee in 2009 said the delay in prosecution and court hearings is one of the reasons why prisoners escape.
Other members of the public in Lae said, despite their status as prisoners, all inmates have equal rights that should be respected.
From the 47 prisoners who escaped last Friday, 10 were convicted prisoners, while 37 were remandees on trial. From this, 11 were shot dead, one recaptured and 34 remain at large.
Over the years, there have been frequent prison breakouts at Buimo.
Forty five prisoners have been shot dead by Police and CS officers during their attempts to escape, since 2016.
Some issues of concern at Lae’s Buimo Prison still not being addressed by the CS Department include the outstanding perimeter fencing, new buildings to ease overcrowding and parole for prisoners serving half of their sentence.
