Transcript
MARK RABAGO: The department of corrections went to the legislature a couple of days ago to basically ask for [more money in the] 2018 budget and Acting Corrections Commissioner Vince Attao said they need more money, because in just a few months the population of those in prison increased from 160 in February to estimates of around 250-270 inmates currently. So if this trend continues Attao says he expects the inmate population to grow to as much as 500 or 520 the next four to five months.
SALLY ROUND: Do they have any idea, what is the reason behind this increase?
MR: They didn't say but i could speculate that because of the economy in the CNMI there has been an influx of people in the islands - there's a lot more people, there's a lot more, probably crime. Also because of the ice epidemic there's just illegal drugs circulating around and people don't have the means to get them and they become dependent on the drugs and they commit petty crimes and robberies and that's one of the reasons they get caught and get a sentenced and then they go to jail.
SR: This ice epidemic, are there measures underway to try and control it?
MR: Yes, just this past year our judiciary system did help of course it be governor Ralph Torres has created the drug court which is basically like a rehabilitation centre for those on drugs because they do a programme and they have to do step-by-step ways to sort out the drug problem and it's way of them getting limited jail time.
SR: And the population, are people more wary now about security because of this increase in petty crime?
MR: Yes of course. There's not a week where somebody doesn't get robbed, not only in the streets, but also in their houses. There's a lot of crime going around. It was alien 15 years ago, or even 10 years ago when you could leave your wallet or your bag some place and get it back after you forget it and go back and it's still there. Right now even tourists are getting robbed in broad daylight. In the last couple of months, or even two weeks ago we heard stories of tourists getting robbed in tourist places, their cars getting high jacked - rented cars getting hijacked and their stuff, cell phones, expensive bags, and wallets [etc] are getting stolen. Not only that, there was a case three weeks back where the robber tried to rob a tourist at knifepoint, but then sped off.
SR: Do the police have the capacity to deal with this uptake in crime?
MR: They are trying to. The police recently opened a coban system - this is like small police force, a small police station in the villages and they're planning to open three more. They also want augment their bike force - these are police officers who ride of bicycles so they can easily ride around small streets and villages. They're also asking for more personal, they also want more from the government in the budget 2018.