POINTE BLANCHE–Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman, prison management and the contractor broke ground for the renovation of the entrance to the Pointe Blanche prison on Monday. The renovation is part of a series of reformations to take place at the facility, according to the Ministry of Justice Cabinet on Tuesday.
“I wish I could stand here and say, ‘I wish we were building a school,’ but the reality is that we are renovating a prison. This is the first in a series of renovations to the facility. Today, we start with the entrance to the prison and that will be followed by the fence, and then some other renovations to the inside of the prison,” stated Minister Boasman on Monday. He also acknowledged that these renovations have been on the books for quite some time and said he is happy that those pending matters have become a reality.
The work is being carried out by Leeward Island Construction Company LICCOM which, along with interim directors of the prison Steven Carty and Wilfred Williams, was commended by the Minister for the fantastic job they have been doing since taking the posts of directors earlier this year.
The project is being coordinated by Khalil Revan, an engineer by profession. According to Boasman, there is much to be done and it was necessary to have someone who will specifically concentrate on some of the matters that have to be done.
“The prisoners will experience some inconvenience during the construction period. However, in the end they too will benefit from the work that is being done here,” Boasman said.
On the issue of safety, he added that Government has a responsibility together with the management team to ensure security, which is also taken into consideration during the construction period. “Safety not only for the inmates, but also for the workers and visitors to the facility. The renovation project is not to encourage persons to be incarcerated, but to demonstrate that Government is playing its part in the upkeep of its prison, as is required by national and international laws and treaties,” Boasman concluded.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/67051-renovation-of-prison-entrance-commences
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