BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN delivering the Prison Report at the closing of the January 2013 Criminal Assizes, Chief Prison Officer Alton Liburd said that the population at Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) has decrease by 48.
He reported that the prison population is currently 330, showing a substantial decrease when compared to the last Report read at the end of the September 2012 Criminal Assizes.
Liburd reported that there are currently 328 males and two females in prison. Forty-nine males reside at the Prison Farm in Nevis and one at the Cardin Home in St. Kitts.
One hundred and seventy-two males were convicted at the High Court level and 56 at the Magistrates' Court level.
Forty-one males and one female are awaiting trial at the Magistrates' Court level while 45 males are awaiting trial at the High Court level, and seven males are awaiting sentencing.
Four males and one female reside at HMP at the Court's pleasure. There are no debtors or detainees at the facility but there is one male prohibited immigrant.
A lone male is condemned and awaiting his date of execution.
Liburd also informed the Court that 13 inmates wrote their CXC examinations in January and an 85 percent pass rate was achieved. He further informed that there are more prisoners preparing themselves for the CXC in January 2014.
He revealed that HMP is currently awaiting a date for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new prison which would be situated in Estridge.
Following the Delivery, His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas entertained questions, comments and suggestions from the jurors.
A number of them stood to thank the Court for the opportunity to serve, stating that it had definitely been a learning experience.
One juror suggested that the Court should conduct psychiatric evaluation on potential jurors so as to determine their level of competence to render proper verdicts.
Another juror raised the issue of matters being traversed more than once. She suggested that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) office make traversed cases priority so as to not have the prisoners in limbo.
Acting DPP Rhonda Nisbett-Brown responded and explained the reasons for the delay in some cases.
She said that some cases are delayed due to the unavailability of some witnesses, noting that some witnesses reside overseas or travel at specific times; therefore the cases have to be put on hold.
She also said that some cases have to be pushed back because of defence counsel having to travel or taken ill suddenly.
Nisbett-Brown further said there have been times when a case is scheduled to be heard and had to be put off for one reason or another, but emphasised that the DPP's office tries its best to have matters heard as soon as possible.
Prosecutor Dennis Merchant commended the jurors for their service and for focusing fully on finding the truth. He made reference to a case in which a juror stood and asked a very important question that was missed by counsel on both sides.
In his closing statement, Justice Thomas said that there is a very serious effort being made to curb crime so that society could be safe.
The judge stressed on the importance of the jury system in society and told the jurors that they have their part to play and they must play it well.
He thank them for a job well done and noted that in his 12 years of service as a judge, St. Kitts has produced the finest jurors.
Justice Thomas made reference to jurors who had made suggestions that were not only taken into consideration, but also put in place and have bettered the Court system.
He spoke specifically of juror 31, whom he said he saw outside the Courthouse at 7:30 a.m. every morning when he sat on a certain case. The judge said he was not telling the other jurors that they should have done the same, but suggested that they use juror 31’s consistency as an example because it is efforts such as those that leave a lasting impression on others.
He told the jurors that they did an exceptional job, wished them well in their employment and advised them to take what they learned in the Courtroom and apply it to their lives.
He further advised them not to assume that their children are okay and that they should search their bags, listen in on their conversations and not be afraid to ask questions.
He warned that there are adults out there who prey on children, noting that people use children as couriers and that they are open to a lot of evil things.
Justice Thomas then thanked everyone for their services and warned them not to take personal security for granted.
"We all have a part to play to keep society safe," he concluded.
