Prison
Northward inmate found dead in cell
(CNS): Durney Ebanks (52) was found dead in his cell at HMP Northward on Wednesday evening, officials from the prison said in a press release Friday. Ebanks was found lying unresponsive on his bed by two prison officers, who administered emergency measures before the medical technicians (EMTs) arrived a few minutes later. He was taken […]
Sheldon Brown released from jail
(CNS): Following consultation with the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, Governor Martyn Roper has released Sheldon Brown (49) from jail. Brown was convicted in 2006 of attempted murder and given a 22-year sentence, of which he has served almost 15 years and would have been released later this year in any event. However, […]
Prison rehab pilot project expanding
(CNS): A third prisoner from HMP Northward who is coming to the end of his sentence has joined the Department of Environmental Health’s garbage collection team as part of a joint project of the DEH and HM Cayman Islands Prison Service to place inmates in jobs. Last year the two agencies signed a memorandum of understanding […]
Prison investment plans too slow, says HRC
(CNS): It is no secret that for many years conditions in Cayman Islands prisons have been dire and in desperate need of investment. But in a newly published document the Human Rights Commission detailed the human rights challenges, describing Cayman’s prison system as “overcrowded, chronically underfunded and in need of urgent investment”. The HRC warned […]
CIG to take on ex-cons in pilot programme
(CNS): The Portfolio of the Civil Service (PoCS) has begun a new initiative to provide a fresh start for Caymanians who have been convicted of crimes and served their time but are now in need of work as they transit back into society. While the government has pressed the private sector to take on rehabilitated […]
Board created to watch over prison standards
(CNS): With the help of experts from the UK, HM Cayman Islands Prison Service has introduced a new Independent Monitoring Board to oversee conditions and treatment of inmates held in custody at Cayman’s various facilities. Tasked with ensuring that prisoners and detainees are treated humanely and fairly with access to sufficient purposeful activity, the board […]
Prisoner hospitalised after setting cell on fire
(CNS): An inmate from HMP Northward was taken to hospital on Thursday, suffering from smoke inhalation after setting a small fire in his cell, which he was occupying alone. The fire was quickly extinguished by prison staff but emergency services were called, according a release from government. Prison Director Steve Barrett commended his staff for their quick […]
Prison to use IDC as jails overflow
(CNS): With more than 220 men crammed into HMP Northward, which is supposed to have a maximum capacity of 212, prison authorities say they will be transferring some low-risk inmates to the Immigration Detention Centre at Fairbanks in an effort to ease the overcrowding at the men’s jail. Northward has been bursting at the seams […]
New rehab project introduced for jailed women
(CNS): The Department of Community Rehabilitation (DCR) has established a Female Empowerment Services Project to help incarcerated women take a different path when they are released from jail. Around a dozen women are currently serving time in Fairbanks for a variety of crimes, from murder to drug related offences, and the DCR recently began offering a series […]
CIG needs to consider prison mental health
(CNS): Before the government embarks on a new prison project it will need to consider the future mental health of inmates. The new prison director, Steven Barrett, said that thought will need to be given on how the prison service is going to deal with prisoners suffering from mental health conditions in the years to […]
84% of prisoners released under new law
(CNS): In its first annual report, the Conditional Release Board has given an early indication of how the new legislation surrounding the release of prisoners is working, revealing that last year 84% of prisoners who had served 60% of their sentences were released on licence and so far none of them have been recalled for […]
