Gov’t must upgrade BVI’s prison — Vincent Wheatley
Social Development Minister Vincent Wheatley has called on the government to ensure that it continues to value the rights of inmates at His Majesty’s Prison (HMP).
Wheatley argued that, despite the heinous crimes some of the prisoners may have committed, they are still human and must be treated as such.
“We have to respect their human rights and dignity and do all that we can to make the prison experience as humane as we possibly can,” Wheatley told lawmakers recently.
The Minister said he has visited the prison more than any other minister in recent times and said this was because the experience is personal for him with some of the persons in the prison.
“Some are family, persons I’ve taken to school and fed. Some people I’ve worked with. Some are children of people I’ve worked with, I know. So, I take a positive interest in making sure that we upgrade the prison to the best we can,” Wheatley said.
He further noted that it was important to ensure rehabilitation programmes are introduced and said he wants to do this more often. “Whether it be the culinary arts, woodwork, welding — whatever we can do to help the persons up there reintegrate into society,” Wheatley said.
Deputy Premier, Lorna Smith, supported Wheatley’s position, arguing that former inmates should be re-integrated into society to ensure they don’t rotate back into the prison system and said the government should help them.
Prisoners were reportedly placed on lockdown recently after the return of a high-profile inmate and the discovery of several guns, which were discarded by hooded men who eluded police in a chase after they were spotted acting suspiciously near the prison late last week.
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UK only give prisons prisons
UK could build a new one for us
Because they didn’t respect others human rights and they also violated others privacy.. Let it be a Prison and stop throwing softball and defensing nonsense..It’s already like a soft ball game with wifi, good meal and cold drinks.Time to toughen up the Prison..
Only when john r and mark c go up there for their crimes against the bvi that will happen
Upgrade the F——- SCHOOLS AND MEDICAL FACILITIES!!!!
Most of them living better than those who have freedom. What is inhumane about the prison? Three square meals a day where a good bit of them enjoy oxtail, mutton, lobster and the like on a regular basis. Whole five star hotel with one of the best views on the entire island they have. For God in heaven’s sake, go and sit down.
Mr weathley yes some prisoners are rehabilitable and can be considered human beings and at the same time one have to realize that once you commit a crime and sentence to prison your liberty to enjoy freedom has been lost and this is an institution that is not here to reward persons for wrong doing the goal should be to deter person from wanting to go prison or return, presently it’s a hotel style prison with tv, music set, rum , weed it’s a party up there whenever it’s a holiday which is celebrated better than the man out on the street go up there for visitation and see how the inmates are dress you swear they going to a function.
“The Minister said he has visited the prison more than any other minister in recent times and said this was because the experience is personal for him with some of the persons in the prison.”
So,you seem to know lots and lots of criminals….maybe you should make up their your home, but make sure you have your soap on a rope LOL
One of the first things to do is EVERY INMATE SHOULD BE WEARING A PRISON UNIFORM, IT IS WAY PAST OVERTIME. INMATES SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO WEAR JEWELY AND STREET CLOTHES WHILE IN PRISON, JEWELRY AND STREET CLOTHES SHOULD BE HELD IN PROPERTY UPON THEIR RELEASE FROM PRISON OR OTHER WISE. SPEND THE MONEY ON A BODY SCAN MACHINE AT THE VISITOR’S ENTRANCE. ERECT A 6FOOT HIGH WALL SURROUNDING THE ENTIRE PRISON WITH BARB WIRE LINING THE TOP OF THE WALL THEN THEY WILL REALLY SEE WHAT PRISON LIFE IS ABOUT.
Before any meaningful attempt at rehabilitation can begin there needs to be a fundamental upgrade in both the living conditions of prisoners and staff working conditions allied to a meaningful working day regime. Opportunity to work across a range of activity should be available and such work should be accredited to a professional or legal standard. If you believe that prisoners should leave prison ready to take their place in society and contribute to that society then there is no point in just warehousing them and hoping for the best on their release
When they leave you need to support them in the community so they don’t go back.
Probably saying that because hopefully a bunch of you elected folk (past and present) are soon going to make that place your new home!
The penal institution of any country must not only provide rehabilitation programs, but also psychological, emotional and life skills development. Recreation activities should also include Academic, Arts, and Music lessons and activities.
There should also be medical intervention programs for issues such as addiction, for alcoholism, street, legal drugs and other. Addiction in particular is a human genetic compulsive condition.
Prisoners also are incarcerated with the illness, but still viewed in society, the drug and behavior, lumped into one as being anti society, immoral and individually deliberately engaged in bad behaviors.
More widely, the HOA, Ministerial Apparatuses, Medical and Law Enforcement institutions must begin to treat addiction, to alcohol and street drugs especially, as an illness and not willful, abnormal or immoral behaviors, both women and men.
It is time to evolved into the 21st medical century and leave thee sanctified and sanctimonious dogma in the rubbish of the uninformed..
Those peopled institutions need to evolve with the scientific facts. Then, the entire government complex must then build and people institution to handle directly the DISEASE OF ADDICTION and its PATHOLOGIES, along with trained professionals to treat the afflicted.
Addiction in fact, is a sickness, pure and simple, triggered by a genetic disorder. The disease has zero to do with our character deformation waywardness of morals…
Hence, society need to provide well developed institutions, similarly to the effort that was once Sandy Lane, to treat the afflicted, just as it does for alcoholism, cancers, Down syndrome, sickle cell and many more..
Meanwhile, one individual, doctor and office is completely inadequate in relation to the huge scope of the issue. Moreover, there are thousands of addicts from legal and so called illegal products, living in this society, who would love to have access to professional assistance.
The country needs to wake up and realize that the drug use and the drug problem are not going anywhere. And, with the increase in population, there will also be an increase in the visible pathologies of the disease. It is a disease not a chosen life style.
So get over the stigmatization and get with the scientific facts, and start treating those afflicted like the humans they are..Moral judgements do not heal..
First and foremost, the location is unsuitable for a prison. In a residential neighborhood to say the least, parking on the street impeding traffic flow.
The prisoners should be housed underground. There should be some incentive to not want to go there.
And Mentally ill individuals should also have proper facilities.
6 foot wall you say? No sah. You mean 10 or 12 foot wall.
They could be making the uniforms!!! And other government departments uniforms as well for a nominal fee. I mean don’t we have brains to actually rehabilitate some of hear that want and can be rehabilitated? F f s how many more ministers will it take to get sh ! T done in this small place of 30k +/- ppl?!?!?
What you need to up grade are the following :
1. A prison is a correctional facility are there programs to reform the inmates to help them integrate back into society are productive citzens ( especially those young ones not yet hardened ) 2. Do you have counseling sessions for them most of them are troubled teens ( thoses not criminals
3. Do you have skilled based programs so they can come out and get a job
4. How about half way houses for some of them
Finally :
Upgrade the hospital facilities
Upgrade the criteria for giving the Social
assistance grants to poor and single parents
Upgrade the salary of the nurses who slave for little compensation after 20- 25 years of service … no
Pension plan for them )
Upgrade the NHI plan to benefit the people copayment and not the pharmaceutical and use of the hospital facility
Upgrade the number of overseas / international facilities that will accept the NHI insurance plan
This is some of the sreas you must be looking into . Hope you
At least look
At a few and implement …… Me gone
The comments support the Minister’s very point. People who know nothing about the prison are speaking the mist. Please come to the “hotel”. Please eat the meals and live like the inmates who are living “better than us”. I hope some of you don’t end up there like others, who are actually innocent, or sent there due to discrimination, or stereotyping, and then can’t get a court date for months or years. Keep talking, prison officers who know better, and community folk who don’t know better.
The prison was there in the wilderness for years long before houses. It is people who choose to buy land and build their houses there. So who to blame.
Can we have an incinerator first?
U are going make the the wannabe esteemed one angry and that ain’t nice / he keeps hollering out that the prison was built by the UK take over and to bring back slavery / colonialism etc against us , so watch your step with this dude , he is relentless in his pursuit of promoting racism in the country / its not clear what he hopes to accomplish with his deception / it is said on the street , his precious WiG is in control of asz