BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Government of National Unity is yet to put a dollar value to the construction of a new penitentiary to house prisoners.
Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris revealed during his monthly press conference yesterday (Mar. 16) that his Government has already identified a site for constructing the new prison, but more emphasis has to be place on it in order to come up with a cost.
“There has been, as far as I am aware, no complete evaluation of the cost of the type of facility that will be required to service those who are in prison and those who are likely to be.”
Over the last several years, there have been talks about constructing a new facility due largely in part to overcrowding at Her Majesty’s Prison in Basseterre.
Just recently during a press conference following the 21-day closure of the prison, newly-appointed Superintendent of Prisons Junie Hodge revealed that the facility, which was built in 1840 to house 60 inmates, currently has on record 208 persons.
Asked for an update on the new facility, Dr. Harris pointed out that his Permanent Secretary, Osmond Petty was tasked with the responsibility of having the project up and running.
“I know that one of the activities that we recently made approaches to get done would have been to get a detailed drawing. I am not sure whether that would have been completed. I doubt that would have been done, because it would have been just about a couple of weeks ago.”
Following up to the question, PM Harris noted that the National Unity Administration has started the preliminary work, adding that they are currently looking at prison facilities regionally and internationally to ascertain which would be the best model to fit St. Kitts and Nevis.
“The short answer to that question is that we are doing everything that we reasonably can do to bring the new prison facility into being. It is being done by this new Administration and we have started with the preliminary work that needs to be done. The site has been identified, the necessary topo survey is being done and we need now to look at the kind of structures that we have examined...facility in the region and beyond to see which would be the best working model.”
The Government has selected Estridge Estate as the location to house the new facility.
