BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DURING his Goal Delivery at closing of the September Assizes at Basseterre High Court of Justice on Thursday (Nov. 4), Assistant Superintendant of Prisons Asheila Connor said that the penal institution is currently understaffed.
His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas gave jurors of the September Assizes the opportunity to question the Assistant Superintendant, and one of the questions asked was, “Why do prisoners no longer clean the cemetery.”
“We are currently understaffed and unable to do cleanup in the cemetery. Also, because of the present state of crime in our country, people don’t seem to care about where they commit these crimes and we feel the prisoners in the cemetery would be easy target as well as the guards,” was his response.
Connor also said plans would soon be underway for a new prison and only last week he had looked at them.
He told the court that Her Majesty’s Prison is currently overcrowded with 221 male and five female prisoners in St. Kitts, and 41 males in Nevis at the Prison Farm.
Connor added that the prison only has 80 barracks for the male inmates.
He indicated that there are 141 males and two females who were convicted at the High Court and 58 males and one female at the Magistrate’s Court, while 30 males and two females are on remand.
The Assistant Superintendant added that from among the 30 remanded males, 17 of them were remanded by the High Court and one male prisoner is awaiting appeal. He noted that no prisoner is awaiting sentencing and four of them are at the Queen’s Pleasure, while five of them are debtors.
He also told the court that the prison houses one prohibited immigrant and five condemned prisoners.
Further questions asked by Justice Thomas and the jurors revealed that some prisoners are involved in a programme where they visit schools and communicate with the students.
Connor also informed that a number of prisoners have gained O’ Levels while incarcerated. He however stated that the programme ended prematurely because of a riot, which led management to convert the area used for classes into a cell.
He stated that there is need for someone to voluntary visit the prison and teach the inmates basic Phonics and simple Mathematics.
Connor further stated that the person who was teaching the inmates is dead and that many of them do not know the Alphabet much less to read the timetable.
“This would make them feel embarrassed and they would not want to go to the class, but I make sure that there is no laughing at each other as they are all there to learn,” the Assistant Superintendant said.
He said that various denominations would visit the inmates every Saturday and Sunday to have a service of worship and devotion in the prison.
Connor agreed with one of the jurors when it was recommended that counselling be done or an outreach programme conducted as a follow-up when individuals would have served their time in prison.
He also said that there is a carpentry shop at the prison and other areas where the prisoners could learn a trade while incarcerated.
