Prison Officials looking to set up a proper ‘buffer zone’ to protect the State Prison at Stockfarm

​Prison Officials looking to set up a proper ‘buffer zone’ to protect the State Prison at Stockfarm. Acting Prison Superintendent Kenrick Jean-Jacques made that disclosure at the closing of the Criminal Session of the High Court earlier this week. His statement was made in response to questions from Special Prosecutor attached to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Keith Scotland, and high court Judge Victoria Charles-Clarke.
 
Jean-Jacques expressed concerns that people are still sending drugs over the fence to inmates at the facility. He pointed out that installation of a properly fenced buffer zone, and installation of cameras in 2017, will eliminate such problems. He added “we expect funding for that project to be approved by January 2017”.
 
Jean-Jacques said they are in the process of making the maximum security block more comfortable, to include toilets. “At present, there are 12 inmates housed at the maximum security block of the prison. The prison chief also expressed concerns about the ceramic toilets at the prison saying “they are not prison user-friendly and will soon be replaced.”
 
He reported that there are 208 inmates, 93 males that came from the magistrate’s court along with 2 females, while 50 males came from the High Court.  On remand are 49 males and 2 females, with 12 males awaiting trial. Seven foreigners are inmates at the prison, which include a combination of Haitian, Chinese and Jamaican/Dominican Republic nationals.
 
There are three juveniles at the prison, one is convicted, and is housed with the other inmates, while the 2 others are on remand. Jean-Jacques disclosed that there are three inmates per cell, while in the dormitory section, 30 to 33 inmates are housed in that department.
 
Jean-Jacques was advised that in future, his information to the court should be “compiled and sent to the court in a report form, and must form part of the court documents, as is done in other jurisdictions.”