Tough life in prison for women charged with killing children
Bradshaw’s attorneys want full disclosure before bail application
JAMAICAN PRISONS and lockups are particularly brutal for people accused of killing children, and for some accused persons like Leoda Bradshaw – t he 34-year-old charged with the murder of politician Phillip Paulwell’s 10-month-old daughter and the child’s mother – that reality reportedly unfolds daily.
In Bradshaw’s case, she is being housed at a St Catherine lock-up, one of the few for accused females and, according to Gleaner sources, her stay is being made harsh by inmates who have labelled her a ‘baby killer’. It is one of the worst monikers women behind bars can be ascribed.
Bradshaw’s attorney, Deborah Martin, confirmed that her client was i nvolved i n an i ncident two weeks ago, but declined to comment on the issue, offering only that her experiences i n lock-up are not unique to any other person in jail and that the condition of a lock-up by itself is not a primary consideration for bail.
“What we are waiting on to make a bail application is for the court to have all relevant material, and for the defence to have full disclosure, so that we may assess the material before making an application. Because the court will be guided by the quality of the material it has when deciding the issue of bail,” said Martin.
The Gleaner understands, however, that Bradshaw and the other person(s) involved in an alleged scuffle inside the lock-up escaped serious injuries as the police acted swiftly.
However, such luck isn’t always the case when it comes to females who are charged with killing or abusing children, noted ex-convict Jaqueline Fenton*, who last year completed a two-year sentence at Jamaica’s only female prison.
That experience was filled with sights of some of the most savage acts carried out by Jamaica’s imprisoned females. There are rules in “hell”, she argued, and based on one’s crime, some inmates spend the duration of their sentences facing ostracisation, taunting, physical harm, and even death.
Some crimes, like scamming, drug dealing, and theft, are respected among the prison population. They suggest the women were trying to “make a better life for themselves and family,” she said. But certain murder and abuse convictions, especially those i nvolving children, are vehemently scorned.
In prison, female i nmates, Fenton said, receive one fiveminute phone call per week to their children. With almost no contact with their offspring and family and with pent-up frustration and longing for their children, the rationale for such treatment by convicts is simple, she explained.
“Remember, it is a female institution, and I would say most, at least 80 per cent of the persons in there, are mothers. The fact that we can’t be around our children; and they are targeting children and harming them. A lot of persons can’t sit well with that one,” Fenton stressed.
“If it means that you are going to be beaten in your sleep; you are going to be beaten in your sleep. If it means they are going to use your toothbrush to clean the toilet or contaminate your food supplies, they are going to do it,” she said in listing some of the actions that might be taken against accused child-killers. “They will steal your things, they will do anything to make your life miserable.”
This is i n addition to the
regular hazards of prison life, she said, noting high levels of intimidation, manipulation, and sexual exploitation, which greet, particularly, t he young and vulnerable.
“They prey on people who look to be weak, and people who look to be rich and try to get in their good graces to get things out of them financially, using manipulation and domination. And if you are not strong sexually, they will lure you in with homosexuality,” she said.
She claims prison officials are often complicit in some acts, especially in pointing out inmates convicted of certain crimes.
“Because, if I am in the prison and you freshly come in, how am I going to know what your crime is? Who do you think talked?” she asked rhetorically. “When I went there before I got booked and reached down on the dorm, they knew what I was there for.”
Fenton was arrested and convicted for two years on fraud charges, which she said were brought on by her then boyfriend, and for which she maintains her innocence. Although the time away from her two boys is irreplaceable, she said she is happy she could have helped other inmates pass their Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams in accounts.
News of Bradshaw’s alleged crimes last year sent shockwaves throughout the prison population, Fenton said matter-of-factly, adding that while prison life is difficult, lock-up tends to be harder based on the distance of the police from the cellblocks where scuffles occur at any given minute. Wardens are usually closer and more prepared, she posited.
The Gleaner understands that police on duty responded quickly to the incident involving Bradshaw at the lock-up in St Catherine, and, according to Martin, the conditions in lock-up are not germane to any bail applications.
“At this stage, I know where she is, in custody in the care of the state. I have regular contact with her and I’m not aware of her having an experience outside of what is to be expected outside of custody,” she continued, arguing that in one instance, a cellmate spoke publicly and told lies about Bradshaw’s experiences in jail.
With regard to bail for her client, Martin noted that“it is very hard to make an application for bail to a court who is going to consider bail in the context of the allegations in circumstances where so much that is relevant is still not available to the court,” she explained. “The fact that the conditions in lock-up are not ideal, without more, is not a basis for bail. The conditions of jail are a matter for the Minister of National Security. The court is not indifferent, but the court is guided by wider concerns.”
In January, another man, Bjon Black, was brought before the court on charges of kidnapping and murdering lawmaker Phillip Paulwell’s 10-month-old daughter Sarayah Paulwell, and her mother 27-year-old Toshyna Patterson. That man is the fifth person to be charged for the crimes.
Former co-accused Roshane Miller and Richard Brown pleaded guilty last year and are serving time in prison. Alleged mastermind Leoda Bradshaw and her cousin Roland Balfour are scheduled to appear in court.