Tag: HMP Northward
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 […]
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 […]
Lawyer: HMP Northward a ‘scary place right now’
(CNS): A defence attorney told a judge that HMP Northward is a “scary place right now”, given the pandemic, which is spreading through the prison and raising tensions among inmates, who are barely permitted to leave their cells, not allowed visitors and unable to take part in any of the usual activities, such as going […]
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 […]
