Prison conditions ‘shocking’
(CNS): Northward prison has been described as “barely fit for human habitation” in a report by the UK’s prisoninspector following a visit to the facility last summer. The report describes a shocking environment of mismanagement, drug abuse, bullying and violence, victimization, poor and inhumane treatment of inmates and a pressing need for significant investment and a radical review of governance structures. Contrary to the popular myth of ‘Hotel Northward’, the inspector revealed a catalogue of problems at the prison that ensure very poor outcomes for all prisoners. Conditions at Fairbanks, the women’s prison, were considered slightly better but only because of the low number of inmates at the time of the inspection.
“Facilities were unbearably hot and often filthy, dark and oppressive,” said the report, which follows an inspection carried out in July when there were some 205 inmates housed at HMP Northward. “There was no privacy and most cells were overcrowded. The general fabric of theenvironment was very poor, with water ingress and vermin infestation. Facilities at Fairbanks were only marginally better.”
Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons in the UK, said that what the inspectors found was troubling and concerning, particularly given that the prisons operated in the name of Her Majesty’s Prison Service.
“Whatever one’s view of the role of imprisonment, most people would expect prisons to hold prisoners safely and decently, and to ensure prisoners leave as better people than when they came in. Northward and Fairbanks fall well short of this standard,” he said in a release following the report’s publication Tuesday.
With urgent improvements needed to the prison as well as the custodial facilities operated by the Royal Cayman Island Police Service and court services, Hardwick said it was difficult to see how this would be achieved without significant investment and a radical review of governance structures.
Listing a catalogue of problems, from endemic drug use to the poor attitude of staff towards the prisoners, the report pointed to the arbitrary nature of the treatment of inmates, the lack of mental health care and rehabilitation as well as the “appalling” treatment and segregation of prisoners in basic cells, which lacked any legitimate authority.
“Our findings at both prisons were disturbing," the report stated. “At Northward, some findings were shocking. Conditions were decrepit, meaningful accountability almost non-existent, and work to deliver decent standards and ensure people are prepared for a successful return to society severely lacking. Against almost all our tests of a healthy prison, both institutions were performing poorly.”
Prisoners at Northward told the inspectors that they did not feel safe, reporting high levels of victimisation by both staff and prisoners.
“Concepts such as individual risk management or strategies to confront antisocial behaviour hardly existed. The management of security intelligence was chaotic, and the evidence suggested illegal drug use was endemic. We had very serious concerns for the safety of a small number of children and young adults held at Northward,” the inspectors stated in the report. “There were no systems to protect them from predatory behaviour, and it says much that those who seemed most concerned for their safety were other prisoners.”
Although prisoners reported being depressed or suicidal when they arrived in custody, support for the wellbeing of those in crisis was crude and ineffective, the report found.
Inmates are placed inappropriately in segregated conditions, and multidisciplinary or mental health interventions were hardly available. In addition, the segregated conditions used to hold both vulnerable inmates were described as “disgraceful and unaccountable”. Prisoners, some with mental health conditions, were held in squalid conditions, without any legitimate safeguards.
The fact that only four female inmates were held at Fairbanks and the almost one-to-one nature of staff-prisoner numbers meant that women were treated much better and were safe. However, the report pointed out that there was no guarantee that this would remain the case if there was a significant increase in numbers.
“Both institutions were in poor physical condition and in dire need of significant investment,” the report said, describing the environment as shambolic. Staff-prisoner relationships were also described as poor, with staff at best passive and at worst indifferent to the needs of prisoners. The report pointed to the arbitrary and unregulated exercise of staff discretion.
There was little for prisoners to do, with both institutions characterised by “indolence and inactivity", the report said, with no meaningful strategy to promote learning and skills in preparation for release.
The well-documented drug problem at the prison was also noted by the report, which found that 28% of inmates at Northward tested positive for ganja. “There were high levels of illegal drugs at Northward. Many prisoners said that it was easy to get illegal drugs and alcohol into the prison and there were high numbers of drug finds. However, the prison took no action to prevent drugs getting in and undertook no targeted drug testing.
“The report’s findings confirm my view that all custodial facilities need to be subject to regular independent inspection to ensure even the most basic human rights standards are upheld and meaningful accountability maintained,” Hardwick said in a release about the report. “The absence of such arrangements … was a significant factor in the very poor conditions we found.”
In the wake of the damning revelations, the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs, which is responsible for the prison service, said it was aware of the findings and action was being taken. The UK inspectors’ findings dovetailed with two other reports undertaken over the last 18 months.
“Over the past year all of these documents have contributed to an evidence based approach by the Portfolio and HMCIPS to addressing problems that had become evident,” officials stated.
Eric Bush, the chief officer in the portfolio, said officials knew what the situation was when they requested the inspection and where the prison needed to be. “There are still many issues to be addressed but the important thing is that we have a defined roadmap, based on the Inspectorate’s report and other expert findings, that provides us with clearly defined short, mid- and long-term goals.”
In line with the recommendations of the UK inspectors, local prison officials claim to have updated adjudication procedures for dealing with prisoner offences and grievances against staff. “The policy is presently being piloted for six months,” officials added.
“Repairs are being made to existing buildings so that juveniles currently in Eagle House can be relocated by mid-February 2013, and segregated from the adult population.”
Officials also stated that the security department is conducting an on-going assessment of the drug situation to determine where prevention measures can be made more effective. A council of inmates elected in January will allow prisoners to share their concerns and help establish a more collaborative relationship with staff. A new partnership with the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) and the Civil Service College (CSC) aims to improve management and leadership skills of the prison staff.
Having partnered with the University of the West Indies (UWI), City and Guilds Caribbean, and the Institute of International Recognized Qualifications (IIRQ) to certify the programmes that it delivers, the prison hopes to offer better learning opportunities for inmates. Each inmate will also receive a personalised health and fitness plan, the officials stated.
The portfolio said works have started to repair damaged structures that require immediate attention but funding is limited. An internal work board has been established which coordinates placement of inmates in the different jobs available around the prison. It aims to foster good work ethics, learning and skills development, diversity and equality. Meanwhile, the “Fresh Start” has assumed the role of identifying outside jobs for prisoners, including employment areas in which they can participate while they are still incarcerated.
“The inmate re-entry planning process and the officer advisory scheme have both been reviewed,” the local officials said. “Re-entry planning is now mandatory. All inmates will have a comprehensive re-entry plan that includes an accurate and timely assessment of their needs in various life areas.”
The portfolio has also requestedthat HMIP revisit HMCIPS in 2014 and Bush stated that by the inspector’s next visit the prison will not receive a “poor” rating in any of the four key areas.
Following the appointment of a new Director of Prisons in April as well as the recruitment of other key members of staff, the pace of the reform process is expected to increase. Nevertheless, Bush said challenges remain to address the problems outlined in the report and the need for a substantial investment during times of economic austerity.
The Inspectorate’s report can be found at www.pie.gov.ky and is posted below.
Category: Crime
I seriously wonder WHY I SHOULD GIVE A DAMN about what conditions the scum of the earth is living in? Do I care- NOPE! Do I think we should keep some of them around at all, NOPE. They got themselves into this mess… OOPS.
While it is definitely a subject for debate, it is encouraging to see that there are still many in society with the smart minds and good hearts of humane people on the contrary to those narrow-minded who's very NATURAL inclinations to ADD to damaging and destroying ANYONE and EVERYONE who has commited any offence/crime, not knowing what happened or even stopping to consider what may have led up to or may have caused the individial to commit his offence/crime… Not Considering as another poster puts it, "Always ask yourselves the question, what if through some cruel twist of fate, a lost moment of concentration or temper,(or some other circumstance) that I ended up there?
If you looked closely at how society works in great part, you will understand that MOST people in our society could CARE LESS about you and your life, how good you might have been, or whether you have lost your job and is struggling with no means to feed yourself, but ONLY when that person makes an unfortunate mistake or commits a crime, then it is their jobs seemingly, to tear down those persons hammering them with Shame and not giving any consideration that all they are doing is helping to destroy those individuals even MORE and consequently our destroying our Society even more.
While prisoners have done the crime, it is also NOT CONDUCIVE to a BETTER society for any prison system to create/allow conditions and voids of rehab and education for inmates which facilitates in the creation of more HARDENED and REPEAT offenders out of who may have been better citizens after serving their time, and thereby churning out more menace to society only multiplying the DAMAGE to society.
Answer: "Never in the field of national endeavour has so little been accomplished by so many with so much!"
Question: What is CICSA's official mission statement?
Prison Finances Review Needed. – Someone needs to look long and hard at the Prison ” finances”. The Prison management still there have thrown the money given by Gov away to contact friends to build new building that were never built. One million dollars is unaccounted for, so now Prison management wants everyone to focus on “Rehabilitation” so the million dollars spent, who knows where, is swept under the rug! So more heads should be rolling out the door with Mr. Scott.
Prisons are suppose to be horrible and these pictures should be posted in high schools for all to see!
We need to get Eric Smith back as well as our own Caymanians there!
This is completely wrong!! Yet again we see an example where those in power have complete disrespect for those in captivity. Just like the turtle farm we see inhumane conditions, overcrowding and rampant spread of disease. Worse still, friends and relatives are free totouch, pickup and play with the prisoners increasing the risk of disease spreading into the wider community and stressing the prisoners unnecessarily.
I have to say, WSPA needs to turn their focus to a braoder level in Cayman. All our captive animals are treated without any level of decency and need to be free to live out their lives in their natural habitat.
When will the rest of the free world shake up Cayman and make them realise this is the 21st century. It is no longer acceptable to imprison gods creatures. They must all be freed!!!
Once free, like the turtles, these animals will be completely disease free, roam peacefully without causing any problems and enhance the beauty of their surroundings, living out their lives without risk from any predators around them…
Do you say that about all animals who are kept on farms, zoos, aquariums etc.in every country around the world, or is thisjust an excuse to attack the Turtle Farm? Are fish God's creatures? How about cows and chickens? You are turning this into an attack on Cayman under the guise of your concern for "God's creatures".
Ummm… You forgot to grab a sarcasm detector… This was a jab at WSPA and their mindless, self-oriented campaign against the turtle farm… Clearly you missed this… Try rereading withoput a pre-judged mind!!!
Here is our oppertunity to rid ourselves of one of the biggest waste of tax payer dollars. Since conditions are so bad at Northward, and the Prison is her Majesty's Prison, why dont we just ship all our Prisoners off to the UK where they will get the correct treatment. I am sure they will get to wonder around freely on the outside unsupervised and pick up drugs etc for thjose on the inside.
08.06- Ingenious my friend. Another way the Motherland can help. It never ceases to amaze me how many people on here accuse the UK of conspiracy when there is nothing worth conspiring about, demand independence and then want to dump all their problems on the UK's doorstep because they are incapable of sorting them out themselves. Painful, but sadly true.
Radical idea, Cayman, show that you can sort your own probelms out!
More seriously, I believe that in the Bible, whom many on here frequently quote when it suits them,that one should forgive those that trespass against them. Our law says they must pay a penance, which they do, but they are still human beings and deserve at least to be decently housed, clothed and fed, whatever they have done, otherwise it is we that are the animals.
Also imagine a couple of reverse scenarios:
1. The road rage incident the other day-whilst not clear exactly what happened, it is clear some tempers were lost in and in the heat of the moment and someone as a result is critically ill and someone is in jail. Whilst the court will decide what happened, does the accused deserve to be treated like an animal because he may have lost it for a few seconds as teenagers are prone to do? Sending him somewhere like Northward is not going to help, it is more likely to hinder his return to society and make him a druggie. I do not profess to his innocence or guilt here, just using an example where some of the facts are mine and not necessarily what happened.
2. Imagine you are broke, lost your job, need to feed your kids. I can only talk for me when I say if I was hungry I would beg and borrow. If my kids were hungry I would steal and I beleive many would, kids dont deserve to suffer from our problems. If I or one of you got caught, does that offence make you or me a hardened criminal, deserving of such appalling conditions? I think not.
Always ask yourselves the question, what if through some cruel twist of fate, a lost moment of concentration or temper, that I ended up there?
I'm sure Mr Nick thinks a prison should prepare its inmates to take their place in society on release – Yes?
But if lying around toking on herbal tobbacco most the livelong day isn't preparation I don't know what is.
Even that we have a few prisoners that might need help. Most are guilty. Imagine those 2 evil wicked , devils, rapist have the nerver to complain about the conditions, XXXX. Makes me sick. The should be put in a hole and fed once a week, if even that. I dare someone to say they deserve better than that young lady that was burnt to death. Prison conditions should be worst for this sort of criminals, there is no rehab for this type. If we can get the prison to be a horrible place to begin with the rehab would start outside the prison, not waiting for it to be done after the fact. They would throw down that peice of ganja and get a job. And dont say they are really looking for jobs by hanging around the place like bums. There is a time and place for everything. take the idiot kids that expect to smoke pot around public beach. Should this be accepted? No. No. No, if you want to smoke your weed for your purpose, then go do it in private, not make a show of it and then expect to say you are being picked on, and then blame color or some lazy excuse for it. Wicked criminals should not have any human rights, especially if they are murderers, they took away the human rights of another person, they should create a new hell on earth for them. There is one mafai type prisoner that did not prey on innocent persons, his goal was always his own kind. After all he did try make a deal to be out to solve the crime problem.
If you want to know what "bad" prison conditions are, read the book "Catch me if you can". It was a prison in France. If all prisons had such conditions, there would have been no criminals. This book is based on a real life events.Forget the movie, read the book.
who will the overseas experts visit here next?… marriage officers be prepared!
Just think – the prison staff were apparently recruited from the best the international community had to offer. NOT!
(This is rich coming from the UK considering the current state of their prison service and criminal justice system as a whole.)
Anyway, apart from the mental health concerns – I am not overly upset by the (at times exaggerated) findings of this report.
To me it sounds like HMP Northward is a place I would not like to end up … and shouldn't that be the primary function of a prison?!
I guess we ought to make reforms to the point where our prisoners are making a mockery of the tax paying public by lounging around, watching tv, playing video gamesand updating their Facebook status on their smartphones … like in the UK.
Anyway, this report lost all credibility with statments such as; “barely fit for human habitation”.
Seriously, give me a 'effin break. This is nothing but another callous attempt to tarnish the name of the Cayman Islands in the international press.
Have you ever thought that what he says is the truth? Not everyone is evil, some deserve to be in prison, some do not that doesn't mean that they should live in squalor. Do you know that young kids are being mixed in with adults and they fight on a constant basis, not one damn soul cares what happens to those kids up there, if they can't get help up there to change their lives around, then they will come out and do the same thing. There has to be a better system put in place. And boy do you people have an ax to grind when it comes to the UK, always thinking that they are out to get the Cayman Islands, get over it already! Go independent and see what happens to this country. Signed True Caymanian.
Don't bother responding to Whodatis; don't even bother reading his posts. Just give anything he puts on this site a thumbs-down or a Troll and move on. That's what the sensible people do.
It is sometimes quite good to read a little of his witterings, so you can think "I am so glad I am not as angry, smug, self-obsessed and deluded as him".
Don't forget the old consultant's trick. Produce an exaggerated report then get hired to implement the suggestions. These enlightened ones from the motherland may want a few years in tax-free paradise.
Er, no. HMIP is not a "consultant", it is a UK government-appointed body.
And, for what it's worth, having been there many times (not as an inmate!), I can tell you that Northward is a 3rd world set up.
Good! I hope they keep it that way. This whole Human Rights BS has gotten society to where it is now……..
Apparently (according to the Constitution) Cayman is not only "a caring community" but also "A God-fearing country based on traditional Christian values".
WWJD?
It was third world before any mention of human rights came over the horizon.
Like a lot of other things.
I agree that the body is not a consulatancy however I was drawing attention to the report writers. This could easily be converted to a cushy multi-year gig in tax free paradise.
In fact MSN in the UK have run this story with a photo showing an old Victorian prison in the UK. One that should have been closed down years ago.
Having visited both HMP Northward and one of these old (possibly the oldest) UK prisons I know where I'd rather be staying if a Judge sent me down.
Why does prison have to be a nice place? It should be a horrible place for horrible people. All high schoolers should be given a field trip to Northward so they have a clue where they may end up living one day ifthey choose to make bad choices. Anybody that points a gun at another human, especially an innocent one, should be forced to live like this for many years.
I saw the documentry "Scared Straight" from hardcore Rahway State Prison when I was a young person. I could never do anything that could put me in that situation. Worked for me.
Let’s get this eternally fixed up for the new guest of honor. Or should that be eternally honorable guest.
Is a shame that one person could spend almost $1M on travelling around the world yet next to nothing has been done to rehabilitate many Caymanian prisoners in the past 3 and a half years. Stop slapping records on kids who get caught smoking ganja and try to get them off it before its too late and ruins more lives. Make sure kids can do the work in each grade before they move on to the next one and spend another year learning nothing because they have been moved up without being able to do the work. Identify those with learning issues and get help for them. Many dyslexic and ADD and ADHD kids can become very productive as adults if they are given help from an early age. No one seems to care about these kids. The only school I know that actually has programmes for learning and behavioural problems is Hope Academy. Many thanks to the Principal and staff there who actually care about what happens to the kids if they cannot grasp the work.
Hope Academy is good, I agree, the question is, who can afford the costs of sending a child there. All Private schools in the Cayman Islands is a rip off and their fees need to be controlled by Law.
Actually you will find that private schools in Cayman are moderately priced compared to private schools in many countries. The fact of the matter is that teachers in private schools here are generally paid less than their counterparts in government schools in order to keep their fees down. Obviously govt. cannot dictate what they can charge anymore than it can dictate what an accountancy firm charges for its services. That's why they are PRIVATE schools. If their fees are too high then competition will sort it out.
close the prison….. send the prisoners to cuban jails….save money….its a win-win
Great idea …. the Cubans would most definitely help out as after all, we give them or the refugees from Cuba absolutely zero help or assistance. I am sure in return, they would gladly take convicted prisoners from Cayman!
Seriously, does this crap get dreamt up overnight or is it just regurgitated from Cayman talks..t morning show?
They are Cayman prisoners from a Caymanian society. Address your problems, take some responsibility and deal with it!
Great idea. A couple days eating rottrn fish would be all they need to fix the problem.
another glorious day for the civil service…..
Mr. Eric Smith was arguably the best and most experienced Director of Prisons HMP Northward ever had, he should be given at least a one year contract by The Portfolio of Internal and External affairs to ensure an experienced implementaton of the recommended changes sort term and medium term. Unfortunately, this is just another political football and a shining example of the political leaders of the Cayman Islands ignoring the basic needs of their people during their tenure in office, whilst wasting the countries time and tax payers money negotiating high fluting and overly expensive capital projects. Albert Einstein once said, a civilized society is known according to how it treats its prisoners.
Can anyone say “new prison on the way”!!! This appears to be the same report done 10yrs ago….. now surprise and now no money.. I wonder if this was to happen it would be called “Dartward”?
eric smith should be given a year contract by the portfolio of internal and external
We need to fix this place up fast because we never know when a high ranking official will take up residence there…
At least one cell should be air conditioned and have a phone and fax installed, and be staffed by a personal chef, a manicurist, a personal aide, and a driver should be stationed there in case he gets early parole…
Psst St. Pete, if you can get near a Mac, launch the Grab app and hover your mouse over the ads until Caymanite Pink pops up. A quick click and you are half way to getting the photo in your wallet. Just remember she is mine, I grabbed her first.
Hot. Yes but what do you want? A/C for prisoners now? Who's going to foot that bill?
Easy to write this sort of thing… easy to spend other people's money.
> Facilities were unbearably hot…
Hahahhaha. I picture that pale Englishman in a short-sleeve white shirt and a tie with sweat rings under the armpits. Welcome to the Caribbean.
So is someone going to resign? Of course someone should resign, but of course no-one will resign. We don't seem to do responsibility.
Not surprising when the people running the prisons are used to living in squalid conditions themselves. You know who I am talking about!
Firstly, it's not Hotel Northward, it's Club Med Northward.
Secondly, I suggest those who want to see "shocking" conditions of a prison, tune into LOCKED UP ABROAD, SCARED STRAIGHT or any of the documentary type shows that detail the lives of prison inmates.
And Finally, if this information was gleened by taking a poll of the current inhabitants of Northward – what did you expect to hear – it's always a beautiful day in the neighborhood?
The repeat hotel visitors must not think the place is too bad – they seem to book future stays soon after their departure – so satisified guests they must be.
Shocking but as expected by anything run by a third world government. Its how things are done here then and now. The only way to change this is to hire skill and experiance over friends and relatives. The working class voters will never stand for that. Cayman islands are a place where the best person for a job has very little chance of getting it even if your a skilled and experianced Caymanian. So this will be Caymans past, present and future and a great lesson to those countries who have not yet got it together.
It’s a prison. People should NOT want to go there. Make the conditions as bad as possible.
Hardwick said it was difficult to see how this would be achieved without significant investment and a radical review of governance structures.”
What is the status of he juvenile detention facilities we were promised several years ago?
We have to stop locking up kids – young as 12 – with adult offenders
But like mental health facilities, since these delinquents don’t vote, they are ignored by Government
You have to stop thinking that things should be done just because they should be done. Look at what has been done. Look at what has changed. Think now what will be done now?government has ignored everyone but their friends. Even those that vote. Change who you vote for and maybe other things will change.
so what would they say about prisons in Honduras,Zimbabwe or Brazil? Northward may have lost its five star ratings a bit but it is stiil a nice,friendly and relaxing hotel.
They're prisoners – are they supposed to be in Ritz-Carlton conditions for their terms of sentence? They are there because they've made someone else's life unbearable in some way – either by hurting someone they love, or instilling fear through robberies or assults, or committing some other unsavoury act – their lives should be equally unbearable.
But I have been hearing for the last several years from posters to CNS and others that Northward is a "hotel" and so comfortable the prisoners do not want to leave.
Come on, the prison here is an awesome place if compared with a few countries!
Just google Brazilian prison, Argentinian Prison and than you will see what is poor and inhumane treatment.
Not even to mention that, if they are there, they are no good for the society.
They are thieves, rapists, murderes and more….why they should have more privileges?
Remember who pays for their living and how expensive each one of them are for the government.
We shouldn't be jailing common ganja users. These are people who — for the most part — are engaged in an activity that doesn't hurt anyone else.
Regarding the conditions at Northward: If you reduce criminals to fighting for their survival, I guarantee you they will not come out of prison with any regard toward amending their ways; all that has been done is they've received on-the-job-training in criminality and brutality and those skills WILL be put to use.
I don't think prisons should have entertainment such as TVs and internet, nor weightlifting equipment, but they should be a place where a person can learn (remember books?) and are encouraged and have the tools to at least learn the rudiments of a trade. Prisoners are confined, fine, but they shouldn't live in squalor. To do so is teaching the wrong lesson, and you won't like the outcome. Isn't the goal to eventually release prisoners who then can provide for themselves and contribute tosociety, rather than be a continuing financial drain upon it?
Or……. has Northward become a business, as with American prisons?
We would like to see a good Caymanian even if they have to be from Cayman Brac running the prison with more caymanians working there as well.