Her Majesty’s Prison continues to work towards strategic goals such as enhancing educational and rehabilitation programmes, said the facility’s superintendent, David Foot, during the closing of the February Assizes at the High Court last week.
However, he said security remains a concern, though new funds have allowed the facility to purchase new locks to address some structural problems. He also said a new security manager is working to address other security issues.
“We’re making steady progress,” he said.
Prison staff is at the same level as it was last year, with 88 workers – eight of them civilians – but the superintendent said he’s expecting to add more soon.
There are 119 people housed in the prison right now, including seven females and eight immigration detainees.
Mr. Foot said there are no juveniles currently detained at the facility: Two, a male and a female, were released last month. Housing minors is very difficult for a number of reasons, the major one being that it’s hard for them to socialise with their peers, he said.
“It’s sad to say that more juveniles would make my job easier,” he added. “But that is not a solution.”
He said each juvenile detainee had a specialised schedule to ensure access to education and supervised social time.
“Both children behaved extremely well and gained their early release,” he said.
Mr. Foot said the number of detainees has reduced during his tenure due to releases for good behaviour.
“Early release for good behaviour is a principle of any good discipline system, and it is a necessity to have to make the system work,” he said.
Despite the reduction in inmates, the prison remains overcrowded – “though not unacceptably so,” Mr. Foot said. He added that the female wing is the most crowded, but there is still some room in the main compound.