Meeting held on Friday 25th October, 2019 by the Hon. Attorney General Minister of Public Safety, Legal Affairs and Labour Steadroy Cutie Benjamin, with representatives from the Ministry of Works, a representative from the Environment Division and representatives of the Ministry of Public Safety, regarding temporary measures to be put in place to house remanded prisoners at 1735.
After extensive discussions, it was agreed that the following will be done immediately to address the matters of concern:
1) Containers will be assembled beginning Monday 28th October 2019, within the compound of Her Majesty’s Prison, technicians at Ministry of Works have given the assurance that electricity and water supply to the new cells will not be a problem.
2) Fifteen portable toilets have been sourced for sanitary purposes. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Safety and Labour made all the arrangements and the units will be installed on Saturday 26th October. The 15 toilets will be adequate for the use of all inmates in the prison. The Ministry of Health will provide daily service to clean and empty toilets.
3) 200 bed cots were sourced today from the Ministry of Health to be stored at the Defense Force facility until they are ready for use when the temporary cells have been erected.
4) Five large 5 thousand gallons water tanks have been sourced to help improve water situation.
5) Water pumps and tank will also be sourced.
6) Defense force will assist with security outside the prison parameter from 6pm until 6am.
7) Kitchen to be extended as present facility too small
8) Public Works will provide Principal Officer Grant Beggs with transportation to facilitate completion of the project which will commence on Monday 28th October 2019.
9) The prison will be repainted, beginning on Monday and inmates will be used to assist with the process.
Minister Benjamin asked that Principal Officer Beggs heads this assignment and work closely with Senior Technician at the Ministry of Works Randel Pyle to ensure that project gets completed on time.
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A step in the right direction. As stated before remanded prisoners should be given better facilities than those who are convicted. Once one is convicted, throw them in the ratta infested facilities. Prison is and shouldn’t be a place one enjoys spending time.
Wait till its your turn. They lock up the innocent and the guilty. You and me is on the rotessary. Its just that the flames haven’t reached you yet.
Why not start afresh elsewhere on the island? New prison facilities with land for farming .Prison full of able bodied people, put them to work and teach them a skill at the same time, instead government going to waste money putting a bandage on a festering sore, no common sense at all.
This is crap remanded and convicted in the same penitentiary. That facility is inhumane and should be demolished. These people behind those walls are human not animals. Yes, they have broken the law and put there for punishment but they need proper rehabilitation. These same people someday will return to society and live among us. You have to be a strong person that behind those walls in that pig style don’t mess with you mentally and physically. It is infested with years of build up germs in the walls. Putting paint on an infested wall is not good.
Excellent observation but they need prisoners to return because it’s a business. So they will not give them any skills to use when released because then they will not return to a life of crime which feeds the prison industry.
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