Prison
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 […]
Suspended civil servants mostly from law enforcement
(CNS): Nine of the thirteen public servants who were on required leave from the civil service in March this year, on full pay, as a result of pending criminal cases or internal probes were from law enforcement agencies. In response to a freedom of information request by CNS, the Portfolio of the Civil Service released […]
Government moves ahead with new prison plans
(CNS): The PACT Government has begun the process of finding architects for a new prison that will be built on land next to the existing jail at Northward, with a target completion date of 2027. A Request for Supplier Qualifications (RFSQ) has been issued for bidders interested in designing the new facility. The aim is […]
Prison service marks progress in rehabilitation efforts
(CNS): Her Majesty’s Cayman Islands Prison Service (HMCIPS) has been criticised for many years for its revolving door, partly due to a fundamental lack of investment in proper rehabilitation programmes. However, recent steps to change that include a partnership with the University of the West Indies to deliver education and skills training to inmates.
Killer brothers appeal to come home from UK jail
(CNS): Osbourne Douglas and Justin Ramoon, who are both in British jails serving life sentences for the 2015 gang murder of Jason Powery, have filed a legal appeal to serve their time back here in the Cayman Islands. The case was heard by the appeal court in a special sitting last month when the two […]
Two prison officers in court over drug smuggling
(CNS): One prison officer is awaiting sentence and a second has been charged as police wrap up two separate investigations into ganja smuggling at HMP Northward. Rudolph Rambaran (39), a Jamaican officer who resides in West Bay, was arrested in June last year after he was caught with ganja as he arrived at work. He […]
COVID-19 spike continues and prison battles spread
(CNS): More than four months after the SARS-CoV-2 virus returned to these shores in September last year, the number of people testing positive each day continues to climb, and there are at least 20 people currently in the hospital. The prison service is also battling another peak of infections, with 16 staff and 31 inmates […]
Prison boss to leave before year-end
(CNS): Prison Director Steve Barrett will be leaving the Cayman Islands and his job before the year end and is said to be returning to his native Scotland. In an official release on Friday confirming his departure, no specific reason for Barrett’s early departure was given but he and government officials said it was for […]
Full prison struggles with high COVID case load
(CNS): With at least nine security officers isolating at home and around 20 inmates now infected with COVID-19, the prison service is struggling with quarantine issues inside HMP Northward. Prison Director Steve Barrett has denied that inmates who have tested positive are being housed in the same cells as those who are virus-free and said […]
Prison partners with UWI to tackle ‘revolving door’
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Prison Service (HMCIPS) has signed a deal with the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus to deliver education and skills training to inmates and tackle Cayman’s revolving prison door. The agreement is a first of its kind in the region, in which a recognised university has formalised a partnership […]
Young offenders still jailed with adult inmates
(CNS): A new report by the Cayman Islands Independent Monitoring Board (CIIMB), which was established to observe the conditions and treatment of inmates within the local prison system, has noted that Cayman is still housing juvenile offenders alongside adult prisoners, in some cases with some of the most dangerous and volatile serving time in HMP […]
