Rapist was one of inmates with access to Facebook

| 01/10/2013

(CNS): Following the lifting of the media gag order relating to convicted rapist Jeffery Barnes, the man sentenced to life in prison by a Grand Court judge last week, CNS can now reveal that he was one of several inmates at Northward Prison who was able to gain access to social media sites from his jail cell. With the use of a smuggled smart phone, Barnes was able to post profile pictures and other photos of him making gang signs, as well as messages on a Facebook page, despite already being convicted of a rape against a woman that he picked up from a bus stop and awaiting trial on a second rape offence when he broke into the woman’s home. Since the Facebook postings by inmates was brought to the public's attention, Barnes’ Facebook page has disappeared.

There are still concerns, however, that with smartphones finding their way into the prison manyinmates, both on remand or following conviction, have access to the internet. Such open access to the outside world gives serious cause for concern, as this means they can contact and harass witnesses and victims and may also be able to continue their criminal activity from inside the prison walls, as well as organising drugs and other contraband to be smuggled into the prison.

At the time officials described the posting of pictures by prisoners making gang signs, showing off gang insignia tattoos and smoking what appears to be spliffs in their cells as a “systemic failure of proper security measures but also a failure in adequate rehabilitation.”

Related articles on CNS:

Prisoners post on Facebook

Barnes gets life for 2nd rape

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  1. Anonymous says:

    They should hose down their cells every morning and make them spend the day drying out their things out in the sun and when there is no sun. s*** out of luck! and a can of beans for lunch and dinner.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Solitary confinement.  No prison visits.  No a/c.  No TVs, radios etc.  10 years minimum for escaping.  Let's add in some shackles. 

  3. Anonymous says:

    If what I see is true these prisoners have almost everything they want at Northward.  Smoking weed in prison and taking pictures of themselves to post on Facebook now this beats it all deviant behaviour at the max.  This society has gone over the edge and I don't see it coming back in my life time.   I had no idea that things were this bad, I would never have believed it until I saw it with my own eyes.   This is not good people, what are we to do about this? This deserves two years in solitary and visitation once every two months.  Those young men need to learn to respect authority, they need discipline.  

     

     

     

     

  4. Anonymous says:

    Jeffrey Barnes has been raping woman for many many many many years….its a miracle he finally got the conviction that suits him (hopefully it will stick)……

     

    Northward is party central and nothing is gonna change that!!! Prisoners are running the asylum.  The director is just there to say "sorry it never happened to me before, lets try to do some damage control".  After a few weeks everyone forgets!!!!

  5. Anonymously says:

    That young man looking attention is from a good home he just looking attention and showing out. The law should really give it to him we need to show these law breakers that the authorities and society will not tolerate it.  This young man needs solitary confinement for about a year and should only be allowed to read the books that Malcolm X read in prison, maybe then he will come to his senses and become agood leader hence a good citizen. Our society cannot afford to lose another of our young man to crime this is another issue that we must march for.  

  6. Anonymous says:

    NORTHWARD is a JOKE!

    One big party for low lifes!

    • Anonymous says:

      Law enforcement FB is a wonderful tool use it to your advantage and you just might solve all if not most of the crime.  Just connect the dots it is bound to lead somewhere…. Time to send message to those who think that they are above the law.

    • Anonymous says:

      just another day in wonderland….

  7. Anonymously says:

    As parents where did we go wrong? Our young men are turning to a life of crime and seem to be enjoying it. All this posting on Facebook and smoking of supposed dope in Northward gives these young men no incentive to chance.  Many of these young men come from good middle class families but have chosen to embrace the gangsta culture and if they don't change fast this island will be lost forever. I am very afraid for Cayman if this continues, far too many of our young men are turning to a life of crime by embracing the gangster culture.  This hood rat culture that is taking over Cayman needs to stop.  We  need to clean this mess from our homes, Schools and neighborhoods.

     

    • Anonymous says:

      It’s not only the young men unfortunately, it’s the young women as well.

      I was in fosters yesterday looking for food waiting in line, these two young women wearing John Gray uniforms came into the store, they spoke more foul language than these 50 cents wrappers, 

      Then they grabbed boxes and just skipped everybody inline, squeezed themselves in to the front to take out food and left. 

      This poor lady to the front made the mistake to tell them wait in line next time, the look the girls gave her, I swear if it did not have so many people around they might have put a beating on that lady

      And the no care attitude they had, it was disgusting to watch, sad part about the entire episode is the Mother was right there in fosters as well.

  8. Anonymously says:

    Now this is a shame, this calls for much investigation.  Can you begin to imagine the pain that this man could have inflicted by his action. There's no rehab for his one no, no.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Can we hear from the new prison director how he plans to deal with such situations, what changes is he going to effect to ensure that prisoners will not have use to internet, but surely not to social media sites (my work blocks them btw so not sure why the prison can't do something like that).

    Also, what has come of the two prisoners who escaped and were recaptured? What is the punishment for them and how has their life in prison changed? Are they held in a different area, are they held in isolation etc?

    Please let the public know what the hell is going on!

    • Anonymous says:

      There was a rumour that Steve Manderson had inside help to cut the wire at the fence in order to escape. What is very interesting is that the Cayman Public had it rumoured that it was intentionally done to discredit the new Director. Seems like we need some real good thinking detectives around here.

      • Anonymous says:

        And we need a very clear message sent out by charging Steve for his behaviour.  A show trial and a decent sentence would be helpful.  It can run concurrently with his life sentence. 

  10. Anonymous says:

    Northward prison is a joke & the staff needs to be overhauled! Govt needs to start cutting from their! Gt

  11. Anonymous says:

    I cannot see any good basis for the Court to gag press freedom in such circumstances.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Is there a warden or a cabinet minister or anyone at all whose responsibility it is to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen? Because probably somebody ought to have a word with them. Or are they classed as one of our decorative civil servants who have zero performance targets and are immune from firing?