Tag: HMP Northward
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 […]
Prison director quashes rumour of rioting
(CNS): Rumours circulating on social media that prisoners at HMP Northward are rioting are false, Prison Director Steve Barret has stated. HM Cayman Islands Prison Service reported on Monday, 18 May, that two inmates were positive for COVID-19, which Barret said in a statement on Thursday had cause some anxiety among staff and inmates, but […]
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 […]
Prisoners released to ease jail crowding
(CNS): The prison director has released on licence fourteen local prisoners who were approaching the end of their sentence or deemed to be low risk to reduce prison overcrowding and control the potential spread of the coronavirus at HMP Northward. Another four prisoners from overseas have also been released and deported on the flights to […]
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 […]
Consultants invited to make case for new prison
(CNS): It’s no secret that Cayman’s prison facilities are not only horribly overcrowded but also unfit for human habitation, with conditions that Prison Director Steve Barrett has called “simply unacceptable”. But after many years of neglect, funding has now been secured to begin the redevelopment process of the current estate. An invitation to tender has […]
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 […]
Prison and training centre partner on jobs programme
(CNS Local Life): Ahead of its official launch expected later this summer, vocational centre Inspire Cayman Training (ICT) is partnering with HMP Northward to set up a programme to teach inmates skills that will enable them to enter the workforce after they leave prison. Starting Monday, 8 July, ICT owner Michael Myles will be training […]
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 […]
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 […]
