Tag: HMP Northward
Power outage at prison impacts inmates and security
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has finally confirmed that HMP Northward lost power on Sunday. While officials have remained extremely tight-lipped about the consequences, CNS understands there have been significant security concerns. Power was lost as the Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) was conducting routine maintenance.
Prison officer denies misconduct charge over ganja
(CNS): Derron Winston Watson, a senior officer at HMP Northward, appeared in Grand Court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to one charge of misconduct in public office. Watson was allegedly found in possession of ganja during a joint operation by HM Cayman Islands Prison Service, the Department of Public Safety Communications and the RCIPS […]
Fight at Northward jail lands inmate in hospital
(CNS): The Ministry of Home Affairs and HM Cayman Islands Prison Service have confirmed that a number of prisoners were involved in a fight at HMP Northward on Saturday. One inmate was taken to the hospital in George Town for treatment but released later that day and returned to the prison. In a press release, […]
Police and prison round up Christmas smugglers
(CNS): Multiple packages of drugs being smuggled into HMP Northward were intercepted by prison security over the Christmas break and three people were arrested, according to the RCIPS. Another two people have been formally charged with drug smuggling offences from earlier operations. The police said they have been working closely with both the prison and […]
Prison fire began in high risk unit cell
(CNS): As the joint investigation by the Cayman Islands Fire Service and the police into a fire at HMP Northward on Tuesday continues, officials have revealed that the blaze started in the high-risk unit where category A prisoners are held. Initial information is that prison officers detected smoke within a prisoner’s cell on the unit […]
Four hospitalized after fire at HMP Northward
(CNS): Four people were taken to hospital Tuesday afternoon in the wake of a fire at the men’s prison, suffering from smoke inhalation. Officials have not said whether or not the four people were staff or inmates or their current condition. According to a release from the RCIPS there was no structural damage to the […]
Fatal crash boat capt caught with ganja in jail
(CNS): Sean Michael McDonald (40), who is serving more than seven years in prison for killing two people in a horrific nighttime boat crash in the North Sound in 2019, is now accused of smuggling ganja into the jail. The day he was remanded to begin serving his time he was caught with an undisclosed […]
HMP Northwood inmate raped by another prisoner
(CNS): HM Cayman Islands Prison Service is investigating a report of a serious sexual assault of an inmate at HMP Northward by another prisoner on Monday. A 46-year-old inmate has been arrested in relation to the incident and remains in the custody of the prison service. Special measures are being taken to safeguard the adult […]
Prison offers vaccine after chickenpox outbreak
(CNS): Two prisoners at HMP Northward have tested positive for chickenpox (the varicella-zoster virus). As a result, the Ministry of Home Affairs has implemented a programme to curb the spread and offer both prisoners and officers the chickenpox vaccine. Acting Chief Officer Julian Lewis said the Public Health Department was helping the ministry to manage […]
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 […]
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 […]
