Tag: HM Cayman Islands Prison Service
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 […]
Second officer arrested for jail house drug dealing
(CNS): A second prison officer in just over a month has been arrested on suspicion of drug related crimes. The prison management at HMP Northward reported the discovery of ganja to the police at 6am this morning after a male officer had been searched on his way into work and packages of the drugs found. […]
Mental health ‘grave concern’ at prisons
(CNS): The mental health needs of prisoners at HMP Northward and HMP Fairbanks must be addressed urgently, according to a report published by a group of volunteers. The first report of the Cayman Islands Independent Monitoring Board, based on 369 visits conducted in 2019, raised “grave concerns” about the lack of provision for the significant […]
TCI prisoners moved to HMP Northward
(CNS) Government officials revealed Thursday that two high security convicted criminals from the Turks and Caicos Islands have been transferred to HMP Northward for a temporary but unspecified period as a result of challenges with TCI’s prison estate. No details have been revealed about the men’s crimes but they were housed in the damaged high […]
Officials step up prison rehab efforts
(CNS): Inmates at HMP Northward are now training to fill some of Cayman’s major skills gaps for technical jobs that are in the highest demand, from air-conditioning repair to carpentry. One of the biggest problems with the criminal justice system is the recidivism of offenders, given the barriers they face finding work when they leave […]
Opposition MLAs vote ‘no’ to prison cash
(CNS): A lack of information about where government is spending more than $20 million at the prison, especially when it comes to rehabilitation, led to MLAs on the opposition benches voting against additional appropriations for HMCI Prison Service. But the prison director has said that there is a well established rehabilitation programme to ensure that, […]
Inmates refuse food at HMP Northward
(CNS): Three prisoners housed in HMP Northward’s best facility have begun refusing food, prison officials have said. It is not clear if this is a hunger strike to draw attention to a specific grievance or just because of the poor standard of food being served. According to a short release from the prison, the men […]
High risk inmate moved to UK
(CNS): Elmer Wright (26), who was recently given a life sentence with a minimum tariff of 21-years in connection with a violent home invasion, was transferred to the UK at the weekend. Wright, who is considered a high risk prisoner, was taken on the British Airways air-bridge on Saturday, which had been arranged to help […]
Inmates on remand positive for COVID-19
(CNS): Two prisoners at HMP Northward, who were both on remand waiting for trial, have tested positive for coronavirus, HM Cayman Islands Prison Service (HMCIPS) has confirmed. Both men are asymptomatic and are isolated alone, the prison service revealed in a release Tuesday morning. The two inmates have been held in the remand block of […]
Crammed prison presents virus challenge
(CNS) UPDATED: Given the number of inmates at HMP Northward, the Cayman Islands Prison Service could be facing a challenging time if the corona virus gets a hold at the men’s jail. On Wednesday morning there were a 199 inmates crammed into the overcrowded facility, where social distancing would be all but impossible. However, Prison […]
Prisoners were safe during quake, officials say
(CNS): The Ministry of Home Affairs has said all of its uniform services responded robustly to the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that shook Cayman last week. Although it hasn’t directly refuted claims made by inmates and their families that the women in HMP Fairbanks were locked in and abandoned, officials said that a decision was made […]
