Looking Glass Chronicles – An Editorial Flashback

Gleaner raps those in charge of prisons for being part of the corruption that could lead to the blatant flouting of the laws by Adidja Palmer, as the entertainer, known as Vybz Kartel, produced an exclusive interview for a New York-based television network from prison.

Shocking prison breach

ADIDJA PALMER, the imprisoned dancehall entertainer, and his enablers, must be feeling quite smug after pulling off a recent jailhouse interview for a New York-based television network. It was such a scoop that the network decided to air the interview over two nights this week.

The 45-year-old Palmer, who is known in the dancehall world as Vybz Kartel, was handed a life sentence in 2014 after he and others were found guilty of the 2011 murder of associate Clive Williams.

By this act, Palmer is demonstrating to his significant fan base that he has scant regard for the laws of the land, and further, that he has no intention of abiding by them. That is the essential takeaway from his defiant breach of prison protocol, which dictates that cell phones are not allowed.

We fully understand that Palmer could not have done this all by himself. The New York-based reporter who had been trying to schedule an interview with the dancehall entertainer since his incarceration said she received a call from him one night.

Attorney-at-law Isat Buchanan confirmed that his client’s cell phones had been confiscated and he had been moved to the Horizon Adult Remand Centre, presumably after the interview was done. As recently as August 17, Palmer’s account tweeted remarks on Marcus Garvey’s birthday, and nearly 50,000 readers reacted to those remarks. And before that, reportedly, he ruffled the feathers of prison personnel when he did an interview on social media platform Instagram. Additionally, Palmer has regularly released new music material from jail, spectacularly debuting five songs in one day.

NO ORDINARY PRISONER

Clearly, Palmer is no ordinary prisoner. In the wide-ranging television interview, which touched on his current appeal before the UK Privy Council and prison conditions, he had this to say: “In dancehall, it is the influence that you have, the dominance that you have, the power that you have to put people on, to destroy people if necessary, musically.” With more than a million followers on social media, Palmer is understandably arrogant in claiming his World Boss status.

So as the Correctional Department scrambles to investigate this most embarrassing breach, the nation awaits the explanation of how Mr Palmer was able to acquire a cell phone and was allowed the latitude to do an interview – undisturbed – while in his jail cell. Who were the facilitators, and was this a transaction that involved payment?

There is enough anecdotal evidence to confirm that corruption has contaminated the prison system over many years. Unchallenged reports about prisoners being released clandestinely for overnight visits to their homes, prisoners being supplied with drugs such as marijuana, and the presence of mobile phones and other contraband are grim reminders of the illegal activities that seem entrenched in our prisons.

A combination of silence and corruption has allowed the state of rot to persist. And where there is illegal activity, someone makes a profit, someone is exploiting that situation. We accept that there are many layers of responsibility in running a prison, and it is time to find those who are bent by naming and shaming them.

Deep-pocketed prisoners like Palmer will continue to make a mockery of the system until that day when the authorities decide that enough is enough and clean house. Sadly, we seem nowhere near that day. 

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