BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – CHIEF Officer at Her Majesty’s Prison, Alton Liburd said that there are a total of 349 inmates in the Prisons in both St. Kitts and Nevis which includes both males and females.
There was an increase of 30 inmates at the end of the September 2011 Criminal Assizes compared to the reported 319 persons in jail at the end of the May 2011 Criminal Assizes.
At the official close of the September 2011 Criminal Assizes, Liburd presented the “Jail Delivery” and in providing a breakdown of the prison population, he said that there are 345 males and four females.
He said that there were 298 males in St. Kitts and 47 males in Nevis residing at the Prison Farm with the remaining four inmates which are females at the Basseterre facility.
One hundred and fifty of the males at HMP were convicted at the High Court level, 73 were convicted at the Magistrate Court level, 63 are awaiting trial at the Magistrate Court level while 32 are awaiting trial at the High Court level. Two females are awaiting their trial dates at the High Court level and magistrate level each.
And additionally, eight men are awaiting sentencing; one male is awaiting the hearing of his appeal while four male inmates are at HMP “at the Queen’s pleasure”. Nine males are debtors, and the remaining five males are “condemned”, having been sentenced to death by hanging.
After the delivery, His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas gave jurors the opportunity to question the prison officer or the court about any concerns they had.
Several concerns and points were raised by the jurors including the possibility of the jurors exiting the court room after delivering a verdict in a matter through a different exit other than the main door, where they may have to face family and friends of the accused or victim.
Justice Thomas said that was a good idea and it is something than can be done.
He thanked all the persons who took part in the assizes and said that jurors were very cooperative.
“Jury service is not a burden but part of the criminal system; you have a service to perform to a young country and to self,” he said.
