The alleged beating of prisoners at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre was one of the topics discussed this week, but very few persons expressed any sympathy for them.

"Why would anyone flog them if they behave themselves?" a woman queried.

"I don't have any sympathy for prisoners, because they must have done something horrible to be in jail," another woman remarked.

A man who joined in the conversation related how he was shot in his left side by two gunmen while they were robbing him.

He said he was able to identify one of them and that man was convicted and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment.

"I have been the victim of gunmen, so my sympathy is not for criminals," the man added.

He went on further to point out that there were many children who were fatherless or motherless because of criminals. "Look how many innocent people have been killed over the last 10 years. So that is why my sympathy cannot be for criminals," he stressed.

"Prisoners have rights too, and not because they are locked up they should be abused," a woman remarked.

WAS framed

She was quick to point out that one of her sons was in prison because someone had framed him.

"Some of the people in prison are innocent because people tell lies on them," she said.

"Yes, your son may have been framed, but that does not mean that he must misbehave himself in prison", the man responded. "Let me tell you plain and straight one more time. Some of those prisoners are notorious murderers and gunmen, and I am glad they are in prison and should spend the rest of their lives there," he said.

The woman, who refused to give up, said she wanted to know if a prisoner who was seriously injured could sue the Government to recover compensation.

"You are asking about compensation? They must learn to behave themselves in prison. They create havoc in people's lives and when they are sent to prison for the crimes, some of them want to go to prison to run things," the man said.

In response to the woman's queries about compensation, a lawyer who was asked to comment on the issue said, "Any prisoner who is seriously injured by employees of the State can sue the State to recover damages."