Murder accused Asa Bethel, who was found dead hanging from a shower at Her Majesty's Prison, should not have been left alone, former prison Superintendent Edwin Culmer said yesterday.

Murder accused Asa Bethel, who was found dead hanging from a shower at Her Majesty's Prison, should not have been left alone, former prison Superintendent Edwin Culmer said yesterday.

Culmer, who was replaced as head of HMP by Dr. Elliston Rahming in 2005, said an officer should have been in the immediate area of Bethel.

"That inmate should have been under supervision for 24 hours. That was (a) rule in the prison from many superintendents back," Culmer told The Nassau Guardian.

"From superintendents past there has always been a program of rehabilitation. But you must remember in a prison (things) are not 100 percent and something will slip through the cracks. Regardless of who is in charge, sometime things happen. Some of the staff that you put there who were detailed to do certain jobs are lax in their performance and take everything for granted."

According to reports, Bethel, 51, who was charged with his wife's murder last week, was found by a fellow inmate in an unresponsive state around 8 o'clock Tuesday morning. Bethel had a towel around his neck and was hanging from a shower head in a prison bathroom.

Bethel was being housed in the Sick Bay at HMP. Prison officials said he was not placed on suicide watch because he showed no signs of suicidal tendencies.

However, Bethel's lawyer, Devard Williams, said he was concerned about Bethel days before he is believed to have committed suicide and had asked for a proper psychiatric evaluation of his client.

Williams also said Bethel had a history of psychiatric problems. Bethel also suffered from a prostate condition.

Up to press time Wednesday, prison officials had not responded to calls from The Guardian seeking clarification on Williams' concerns and Culmer's claims that Bethel should not have been left alone.

However, in a recent interview with The Guardian, Superintendent of HMP Elliston Rahming pointed out that a Classification System was in place at the facility, which every inmate goes through within 24 hours of entering HMP.

A Classification Board conducts a full assessment of the individual and determines whether an inmate requires any special medical or psychological treatments, and determines if a suicide watch is necessary.

Asked to give an assessment of the Fox Hill facility, Culmer said a number of changes are required if the prison was to truly carry out its mandate, beginning with a change to the Prison Act, which he described as "old and outdated."

He noted that while there have been amendments to the Act over the years, more needs to be done to modernize the prison.

"From day one, they were always short-staffed and you need proper staffing; and you really need a proper facility," the former superintendent said. "We need a prison. We need a modern facility.

"You also need to get rid of those old officers because they are killing the institution too. Some of them are just sitting there collecting a pay check. Some of those (officers) who have been there for 30 years need to be cut loose and try build the prison with people who are concerned and who care for the country."

In a recent interview, Rahming addressed the issue of new officers. He said a new squad of prison officer recruits were in training.

Culmer said the country needed to get serious about rehabilitation.

By STEPHEN GAY