Problems persist for vulnerable prisoners
(CNS): An independent oversight body that monitors the local prison system has repeated concerns in its recently published annual report for 2021 that there is still no purpose-built facility or space for prisoners with mental health issues. With no dedicated accommodation for vulnerable prisoners at HMP Northward or HMP Fairbanks, the mentally ill and other at-risk inmates are living alongside the general population in cells that remain unfit for human habitation.
Provision for disabled prisoners is also inadequate, especially at Northward, the Cayman Islands Independent Monitoring Board (CIIMB) found, and several important facilities are only accessible by stairs, including the prison chapel.
The report also documents a weakness in psychiatric provisions, which has not improved since last year’s report. Prisoners known to have mental health challenges have reportedly caused serious issues with other inmates and they have had to be moved to the high-risk unit, which houses prisoners posing a security risk and is not designed for inmates who are mentally ill.
As previously reported, the board remains concerned that this unit “is being used as a holding place for the most vulnerable prisoners instead of a specialist unit”. Board members asked the prison director to inform them when and how this problem would be addressed.
The government is currently going through the process of seeking consultants to build a new prison and a procurement exercise is currently underway for architects to design the new estate on the HMP Northward site and adjacent crown land. This is based on an outline business case conducted by consultants for the home affairs ministry, which remains secret. CNS has repeatedly asked officials to see this document but those requests have been denied.
In the meantime, despite acknowledging that some progress has been made in improving the conditions of the women’s prison and in the early release unit, the board noted a significant number of problems related to the dilapidated state of the HMP Northward property.
The board also pointed to the inadequate provision of rehabilitation services for women at Fairbanks. While programmes have been extended at HMP Northward, where men have access to a wide range of different training and education courses, women’s access is considerably more limited.
“It remains a concern of the Board that prisoners at HMP Fairbanks still do not have the same variety of purposeful activities to choose from as prisoners at HMP Northward,” the report states. “Classes are much fewer and there are still complaints by prisoners of inconsistencies and frequent cancellations of scheduled classes, at short notice.”
Northward prisoners have access to certified courses through the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and Inspire Cayman that results in qualification, which is still not available to the women at Fairbanks, where only a cosmetology course is on offer.
The board said that throughout 2021 COVID-19 had a significant impact on visiting, as well as their own access to the prison, the provision of training and education, and other support services. The need to create isolation units for prisoners who were positive for COVID put a further strain on the already inadequate prison accommodation.
The board was established by the governor and rolled out in 2019. Its role is to monitor the conditions and treatment of those imprisoned, incarcerated or otherwise detained in custody in the Cayman Islands to satisfy itself as to the humane and just treatment of those held in custody and the range and adequacy of the programmes and other arrangements preparing them for release.
See the full report in the CNS Library.
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Build a mentally ill prison. just don’t let PPM build it unless you want it to cost $75 million plus overruns.
“It is said that no one truly
knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
@5:45 – you said, “mingling with criminals? they are criminals!” … smh … please dpn’t even go there… You can’t compare the mentally challenged with people who commit crimes in a right state of mind! Don’t be heartless. They are two different people. Just like you can’t house adults with minors, or, males with females. FYI, alot of the mentally ill commit crimes, and see things that are not there. Alot of times they wrestle with self-identity issues, because most are unable to notice with their personality shifts to another one. And alot of times they can’t catch themselves falling a trance-like state that causes them to do and say hurtful things to others … I am sorry, but your comment just shows how cold and ignorant you are! Don’t you know alot of decent families have one or two suffering from serious mental illnesses that causes them to be violent and commit crimes? Their is no cure for their mental illness! They have to be drugged on meds for the rest of their lives! And the meds (pushed by Big Pharma) end up causing them organ problems and even kidney failures. It is a sad state of affairs for these people. If you only knew, you wouldn’t make such a callous comment! I saw a bipolar girl broke down and cried in my arms because she switches into a very aggressive person and she can never keep a relationship… Taking her meds is painful too but if she doesn’t she can easily slip into a suicidal or manic state. They tears can never be contained in a bottle as to the demons they have to face. If you ever were in their shoes, you could never judge them and compare them to regular criminals. You could never be so cold to sentenced them with the same punishment like you would other criminals who “freely” commit crimes.
Every government is guilty for the last 20 yrs.
This prison has never been Acceptable Accommodation but so called ministers and representatives of the people have buried their heads in the sand scared or wanting to address the situation.
It just goes to show who you actually vote for.
The majority of the Caymanian prisoners in Northward and Fairbanks are the adults who our community, society and government services FAILED as children. Be it mental illness, drug addiction, or anti-social behaviour as a result of childhood abuse and/or neglect most of these men and women are tortured souls living with the legacy of no one giving a damn. And once they break the law, our hypocritical punitive society wants to lock them up and throw away the key. And never see or hear from them again. They don’t want to see the results of their inaction, or worse, their own malfeasance.
The politicians don’t care because there are no votes in it for them. So there is zero real focus put on rehabilitation or on addressing the causes of recidivism. We are so quick to label people as bad eggs or lost causes.
I honestly don’t care about the foreign prisoners who came here as adults and offended here as adults. We did not create them. They came here fully formed by the community they grew up in. But I do care about our Caymanians that we are so quick to throw on the trash heap. But for the grace of God – and being born to caring parents, goes any one of us. And we need to get off our high horses and realise that before we lose a couple of generations of Caymanians whose potential has been ground to dust by our community’s apathy.
It may be time to start charging the families of these inmates for the time that they spend at HMP Northward. It is also important to put these inmates to work. They should be planting crops to feed themselves and the elderly within our society. They should also be doing yard work and house maintenance for the elderly within our society.
The alternative is to make some arrangements with a country like Honduras or El Salvador to take them at a fraction of the cost.
El Salvador is a crappyy place.
Not even Hondurans will visit that country.
Salvadorians too
After experiencing COVID strict lockdown in March to May 2020 I think a sane inmate will become mentally ill eventually being in lockdown for extended periods of months and years in prison. Maybe Cayman prisons are more lenient but it would be tough.
Just Shameful ! And this reflects the attitude and misunderstandings alot of people in position have for the mentally challenged. Alot of them, I believe, think they CHOSE WITHOUT DIFFICULTY to be in the state they are in. THE ILL AND THE SICK SHOULD NOT BE MINGLING WITH CRIMINALS !! SHAME, SHAME, SHAME !!!
They are all criminals. Some are dangerously nuts. Some are just dangerous. A new prison is on the way. Next topic…
What cowardly actions. You call for a motion against the Givernmne just for do Roy or did your efforts to subvert PAzcT members fail ergo why you didn’t attend for fear of a resounding assing, which sll six of you soundly deserve. Especially the female quotient if your piss poor management party who did not Has not and probably will not ( unless she reads this) speak about the alleged asssult on females. Now that is poor EomN zoztlimentary leadership SMH.
Well Roy how do you all look now today was a work day for which we the people paid you for yet you and the rest of ya yahoos did not go to work. Would you kindly donate the months salary of each of you to a worthy Charity, I bet some a dem will be at the bar room this evening. Shameful Hopposituin. Bunch a lilies .
Guess you were glad to see your speaker proudly sitting in that chair. If not why not speak out about it instead of criticising those who protested by not attending.
mingling with criminals? they are criminals!
Hebrews 13:3
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
…just not in Cayman. The Christians there have more important things to worry about, so hush, Paul.
Known for years…meanwhile, drugs and phones fly over the fences, prison guards abuse and traffic, and the prison director is bestowed a royal gong. Great job everybody.
As a concern citizen, there has to be a greater push by our government to see the prisoners as human beings first and foremost. Yes these people have ‘f*****’up. They may be deserving of some sort of separation from the general population but this throw them in prison and throw away the key mentality can’t work.
The government must push for the creation of the mental unit at the prisons so that such prisoners can get the help they need and to be able to be rehabilitated in order to not be repeat offenders when they do get out.
Also building the mental institution for those in the general populace who need such a facility, must take place like yesterday. In doing so, we provide adequate care for such persons and provide the necessary chances for them to be treated properly so as to ensure they don’t end up in prison amongst the general population there.
The government must have some empathy for these people and see the importance and the down right need for these facilities.
Our country is growing and so are the problems that come with a large population. “An ounce of prevention then must be better than a pound of cure.’
It’s crying shame what has happened to the last two prison directors and the lack of support and political obstruction by our no use political dingbats promoting corruption in our government and allowing foreign nationals to dictate prison policies to benefit themselves. It’s a Shame what’s happening to Cayman though!
Take a step back and look at our past. Nothing is happening that hasn’t already happened to Cayman. >80% of the Cause Lists are born and raised, just as they were 20, 30, 40 years ago. The machete and cow-cod addicts, alcoholics, and lifetime malcontents of the past just now have easier access to drugs and guns. We need to stop the cycle of denial that supposes crime is imported or that we don’t have multi-generations of willing ill-tempered Caymanians in situ. We need to own our truth and provide the cheap social interventions and buffers that keep next generations honest, productive, and out of trouble. We aren’t doing that. Not even close. When one week of political Christmas handouts is more than 5 years of drug addiction support, the community is destined to sustain an overcapacity prison.
This ain’t nothing about vulnerable prisoners this about the double standards that exist in the prison system where a certain nationality of prisoners are given privileges over other prisoners the Jamaicanisation of our law enforcement branches is not right and has dire consequences for these islands and the UK government needs to address it immediately before it become a very serious situation and stop listen to local politic @$$holes who’s.agenda is based on their garrison community voters and their sexual liaisons overseas.What a real mess Cayman is in from colonialism to servitude to the slave Boss !