Prisoners could help with bush cutting, Rymer says
Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer has proposed using prisoners to help with beautification and maintenance works across the BVI, particularly given the ongoing challenges with maintaining the territory’s infrastructure.
Rymer made this suggestion during a recent House of Assembly debate, citing the potential benefits of utilising available resources to address the BVI’s pressing roadside conditions.
Rymer acknowledged that the territory’s roadsides have long been a source of frustration for residents. “We’ve seen this rain phenomenon. As soon as you cut some bush, they go right back up. As soon as you cut your lawn and your yard, they go right back up,” Rymer stated.
The Minister stated that while some work is being done, it is insufficient to meet the community’s needs. “We now have the RATED programme, they’re engaged. It’s nice to see the roads cut. But then I’m sure in a couple of days you’ll see the grass grow right back up,” he said.
Rymer argued that the government needs to use whatever resources are available to assist with maintaining the territory. He referenced a past programme where low-risk prisoners were involved in public works, suggesting that a similar initiative could be reintroduced. “I know there was a programme where we could use the low-risk prisoners at one time,” he said. “Maybe that is something that we need to look into to see if they can also assist.”
According to Rymer, having prisoners assist with public maintenance tasks could alleviate the pressure on government resources. Additionally, the programme could offer prisoners a way to earn some income and support their families.
Rymer emphasised the importance of keeping the BVI well-maintained, especially given the frequent rain the territory has been experiencing. He also highlighted the need to act urgently to address these issues.
Meanwhile, Rymer expressed appreciation for Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley’s financial commitments, noting that a good fraction of an expected $100 million loan will be allocated for infrastructure improvements and road repairs. Rymer added that while progress has been slow, it is essential to keep moving forward and invest in the territory’s infrastructure.
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For years this can be done it can also help employee other via security agencies to work alone with a prison guard or a police office to monitor the prisoners while they are out
NO@!!! Let them sit up in the prison where they earned a spot. We dont need them running around theifing, killing or taking presents back to the prison.
Whoever is in charge of them will be cowed to say so & so got a care package or ran off and came back.
What we need is to ship the prisoners away & take in foreign prisoners in exchange.
It seems to me that if you know that if you get caught doing whatever crime that you’ll be cutting bush all day, 6 days a week, you might think twice. Going to Ballo alone has not proven to be much a deterrent.
But why limit it to picking up bush? They could pick up all the trash laying around on the sides of roads
They should get paid a nominal amount
They don’t want to admit that government is poor.
When they come out on opportunities like this ,they get drugs and alcohol and carry back into the jail…and YES the guards let them pass in with it or the guard hold it from them and carry it to there cells!!!! CORRUPTION WILL NEVER STOP!!
BVI Tourist Board is responsible for exactly what its name says, TOURISM! Part of welcoming guests to your island is KEEPING IT CLEAN! Yes, the residents deserve a clean island as well but it is even bigger when you are touting yourself as a top destinations for visitors to spend their monies. So why is it that the BVI Tourist Board is more interested and involved with Festivals, Music Fests and all manner of f**kry but they cannot as a functioning statutory board handle Territory-Wide cleaning up and maintenance? Why was the Premier adamant about moving festivals under the BVITB but he is keeping bush cutting under his Ministry? I really wonder if these people are smoking the same bush that they are cutting. WTF?
thats a very good idea..and make it a year round thing..the bushes wont be so high
Back in the mid 1980’s, prisoners worked alongside Mrs Barwick – the governor’s wife – in laying out the J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens.
Very bad idea. Prisoners can work in the prison or on the prison farm but NOT outside the prison. The only reason for any prisoner to leave the prison is for court appearances, medical care not available at the prison, sentence fulfillment and death.
People dont understand the real world if they think prisoners will come out, chop bush and go back without anyone making contact with them to pass on weapons, presents or message to kill.
This is like setting ourself up for failure when there are many unemployed clean record who can chop the bush.
Get the HM Prison eggs going again. CI Holly did a great job with that. RIEP CI Holly you were a great man!
You cannot protect them inside how tou will ensure safety from others outside
The police officer who was shot while transporting a prisoner did not get a single compensation school children say
No insurance for their injuries and compensation of injuries on the job
This is a crazy place
you have a set of wannabe gansters up in the guest house at BALO / WHO is allowed to go on Facebook and show off their gold chains – rings – etc / how do expect the will they expect those entitled youths to go and cut bush , that would be disrespectful to them and their family’s name / right now their family is trying to keep their COLDBLOODED EXECUTION STYLE KILLER FAMILY CRIMES UNDER RUG AND OUT
OF THE PUBLIC’S VIEW AND ACT LIKE IT DON’T EXIST IR THEY ARE INNOCENT. SO THEIR FAKE PRIDE WOULD BE EXPOSED , AND THEY CANNOT ALLOW THAT SO THEY THEY CAN WALK IN THE STREETS LIKE THEY AND THEIR KILLER FAMILY IS ANGELS
Yes, they need to be bush cutting and cleaning up. from just up there sitting down. I fully support rymer with this one… this place is a joke… have guards with guns on watch…
I would go one step further with the offer of a small stipend for the work and permanent job upon release based on performance (clearly only low risk prisoners will be eligible)
Let’s kill rape rob and let’s come out and do some loitering garden cutting chilling life is good why should I not commit a crime ?
After all I don’t have to be behind bars all day
It’ll be night jus to sleep daytime I’m free wow what a nice country to commit crimes wow wow wow
This is the first sensible thing that Kye Rymer came up with. They should be out here cutting bush, cleaning the streets, painting the speed bumps and any other duty to imprnve the territory. They should not be allowed to get up eat and sleep. Check other caribbean islands and you will see the prisoners out on the roads working. I believe this will be good discipline, and they should also be paid a stipend so when they are released they have some money to start life.