Inmates on remand at His Majesty’s Prison in Balsam Ghut have been awaiting trial for as long as five years, Prison Superintendent Guy Hill told the Standing Finance Committee during its closed-door deliberations in December.

Mr. Hill also told the SFC that the number of prisoners on remand has been increasing since

he took up his role in July 2021, and it has become a “big” con- cern, according to a report on the Dec. 1-7 proceedings.

He added that the issue has been brought to the attention of the director of public prosecutions as well as Attorney General’s Chambers, the re- port stated.

“If someone has been remanded for two years awaiting trial, then that should be looked into,” the para- phrased Mr. Hill as saying.

Prison population

He also told the SFC that the prison population ranged be-

tween 113 and 115 prisoners last year, according to the report.

Twenty-eight inmates, he said, were freed on early release on recommendation to Governor John Rankin. While their release helped eased the prison’s financial burden, more inmates were added to the population, he explained.

“In our society when three inmates are released, there would be more criminal activities in the country, which meant that more would be coming to the prison,” the re- port paraphrased Mr. Hill as saying.

Also during the SFC meet- ing, Opposition Leader Julian Fraser called for a solution to address the issue, and Health and Social Development Minister Marlon Penn suggested that legislation may be needed, the report stated.

Staff suspended

Deputy Superintendent John Wilcox also spoke during the proceedings, noting that the prison is understaffed.

He added that “there are a number of prison staff that are suspended,” and that the prison “requires nine additional staff, one of whom should be a firearms officer,” the report stated.

Mr. Hill also said that in the past he had made a request for a teacher and a counselor for the prison, but the posts re- main vacant.

Speaking about repeat of- fenders, Mr. Hill said that only one inmate had returned to the prison population under his tenure.

Most inmates, he added, are first-time offenders, and many re- quire “a lot of help” since they are young men and women.