Construction of new holding facilities at the Lusignan Prison is ongoing and works are expected to be completed in August this year.
The Ministry of Home Affairs in a press release posted on its Facebook page said that Permanent Secretary, Mae Thomas, visited the location on Wednesday to carry out an inspection of the project.
According to the statement, construction of cell blocks 1, 2 and 3 are at 85, 79 and 65 per cent completed, respectively, while works have commenced on cell blocks 4 to 6.
Three modern holding facilities are being constructed at the Lusignan Prison under a $1.2 billion project. Upon completion they will house 1,000 inmates.
Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn had previously stated that the new holding facilities are expected to resolve all of the existing security concerns at the Lusignan Prison, which has recorded a high number of escapes in recent years.
It is also expected to address the longstanding issue of overcrowding at the prison.
In an interview with this newspaper in October last year, Director of Prison (ag) Nicklon Elliott had said the country’s prison population is about 20 to 30 per cent over capacity. “Because of the dynamics at the various locations, we are trying to ensure that persons are accommodated because we can’t refuse any entry coming from the courts,” he said.
In addition, the women’s holding facility will also be relocated to Lusignan. Construction for the female prison commenced at Lusignan in January this year.
Other works that are ongoing at the Lusignan Prison include the construction of a vocational school for inmates. This structure, the ministry said, will accommodate training, which will aid in the decrease of recidivism and further promote the Fresh Start initiative.
Construction of an Infirmary Annex, and overhead water storage tanks and water treatment plants also commenced in January and are at 40 and 35 per cent completed, respectively.
