City prisoners may be relocated

The refurbishment work is expected to begin later this year and in the mean time, police and prison officials are said to be going over the logistics of the relocation.

Yesterday, Prisons Commissioner William Alexander said the intention of the refurbishment initiative is to create a humane environment for both prisoners and those charged with safe-keeping and rehabilitating them. He said indoor plumbing may be a feature of the rehab work to do away with the dehumanizing slop pail system.

He said government has already given an undertaking that a considerable amount of money will be spent on the initiative rather than spend hundreds of millions in building a new prison from scratch.

Alexander said some refurbishment work has already started but the major aspect of the initiative will will take place later this year.

According to Alexander, not all work will be carried out at one time and instead will be done on a phased basis. Prisoners located in a section where refurbishment work is to take place will be relocated to Maximum Security Prison in Golden Grove. He said the prison population at the Port-of-Spain prison is around 560 - 570 and every effort is made to ensure this does not exceed 600.

The Commissioner concerns expressed by prisoners and prison officers of conditions at the city prison and urged both officers and the inmates to exercise patience as the effort gets underway.

Alexander also noted similar refurbishment exercises at the Youth Training Centre (YTC) and the Remand Yard which included installation of indoor plumbing and outfitting of double decker beds.

“Prisoners are human and need to be kept in humane conditions,” Alexander said.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi revealed in the Senate two weeks ago that government found it more financially prudent to refurbish the Remand Section instead of building a spanking new facility. Roughly $50 million has been earmarked for the refurbishment initiative.

Al-Rawi said Government is working with the Canadian government to facilitate improved conditions at the nation’s prisons.