Prison staff drug tested, UK inspection planned

(CNS): As a result of ganja found in the administrative wings of HMP Northward, as well as inside the secure perimeter fences of the prison recently, all guards, prison staff and even officials in the Portfolio of Internal Affairs have been tested for drugs, including the portfolio’s chief officer, Eric Bush. All tests over the four day period were negative, Bush said. The tests were made as the portfolio plans changes to improve the overall operations and effectiveness of Cayman's prison system, and a team of two representatives from the UK prison’s inspectorate visited Cayman this week to do some preliminary assessments ahead of a full inspection expected to take place early in the next financial year.

Explaining the reason for the testing of staff, CO Bush said that there have been concerns about the prison in the community and changes were afoot. He confirmed that the officers who are away or on sick leave will also be tested when they return.

"Whilst a few officers remain to provide a specimen due to overseas travel or approved extended sick leave  prior to the testing being initiated, I am happy to report that the 135 results received to date have all been negative,” Bush said. “In addition, the staff of the Department of Community Rehabilitation who work in both the female and male prisons on a regular basis, also submitted to testing willingly, together with their Director, and results were negative for all. The testing was conducted by the Forensic Department at the Health Services Authority. “

Bush said that over the last few years, the prison service has experienced a number of incidents where drugs and other contraband have been found within the secure confines of the prisons. Positive steps are being taken, he said, to improve the overall operations and effectiveness of the service. 

Another portfolio initiative is an external third party inspection of the prison system by the UK’s prison inspectors  — Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP). The Cayman Islands governor has invited HMIP to conduct a full inspection of Northward and Fairbanks Prisons. A team of two inspectors were in Cayman last week undertaking a preliminary assessment ahead of the full inspection which will take place in a few months. The last inspection in Cayman was almost a decade ago back in 2001.

HMIP is an independent inspectorate which reports on the conditions for and treatment of those in prisons, young offender institutions and immigration detention facilities. It provides independent scrutiny of the conditions for and treatment of prisoners and other detainees, promoting the concept of 'healthy prisons', in which staff work effectively to support prisoners and detainees to reduce reoffending or achieve other agreed outcomes.

In addition to its role in carrying out a regular programme of inspections in England and Wales, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons may be invited to inspect other facilities, such as those in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Overseas Territories.

Governor Duncan Taylor welcomed the news that there would be an inspection.  “A visit by HMIP is timely, given the two recent reports on the quality of life and rehabilitation of local inmates by the University of Cambridge and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada respectively, and given that it has been some 11 years since the last inspection. I am particularly grateful to HMIP for agreeing to undertake the work for just travel, accommodation and subsistence costs,” he said.

CO Bush has recently reorganized the portfolio’s management structure to focus expertise in the right places and ensure responsibility for the provision of correctional and rehabilitative services are maximized, as he noted that there has been a reduction in rehabilitation.

As part of the re-engineering process, Kathryn Dinspel-Powell’s role has evolved to include responsibility for the strategic oversight of the prison service. As the Deputy Chief Officer for Corrections and Rehabilitation, Dinspel-Powell, with an extensive background in counselling and rehabilitation, will also continue to oversee and support the Department of Community Rehabilitation, which is led by Teresa Echenique-Bowen. 

"I am very happy to have someone of Mrs Dinspel-Powell's background and expertise who can guide the strategic development of the corrections and rehabilitation services in the Cayman Islands," Bush added.

Dinspel-Powell began laying the foundation for this by liaising with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) to assess the rehabilitation needs across the continuum, from the prison through to the community. Now that this report has been received, she will be working with key managers and staff in both the prison and the Department of Community Rehabilitation to implement the key recommendations.

“The portfolio, as well as senior management and staff of the prison system, are determined to ensure that our services are in keeping with established best practices in corrections and rehabilitation. We expect that the insight to be gained from an objective third party of this calibre will be invaluable”, said Dinspel-Powell.