USVI transfers 25 percent of prison inmates to mainland
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| Published on Monday, October 6, 2008 |
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By Susan Mann
Caribbean Net News US Virgin Islands Correspondent
Email: susan@caribbeannetnews.com
ST THOMAS, USVI: US Virgin Islands governor John deJongh called a press conference on Wednesday to answer questions from the media; including the reason why 98 inmates of the territory’s Golden Grove Prison on St. Croix were moved to a stateside prison earlier in the week.
Several Senators had already expressed their displeasure at not being informed in advance of the clandestine, unprecedented operation.
The Bureau of Corrections, scheduled to begin operating separately from the Department of Corrections on October, 1, 2009, has functioned under judicial oversight for over 20 years.
The American Civil Liberties Union has continued to advocate for inmate services such as psychiatric care for mentally ill inmates and has closely monitored the situation within the prison.
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| Inmates being transfered |
The Governor got right to the point when the meeting started. “Although there may have been some commentary about why more details were not released on the subject of the recent transfer of prisoners from Golden Grove or why others were not told in advance, I wish to remind you of two things. The first is that the fact of the transfer was confirmed by public information officers at Justice, the Police Department and Government House. And I will confirm today that, upon the recommendation of the Attorney General, 98 prisoners were transferred to stateside facilities beginning on September 27. And the second is that these are purely executive functions that cannot safely be trumpeted in advance.”
This was done to reduce the chances of another incident like the escape of three prisoners that led to so much legitimate concern and worry in our community in recent weeks.
DeJongh said he hopes the time will come when “better facilities are available to house our prisoners and even to work towards the additional goal of rehabilitation that forms part of the mission of our corrections system. But we must deal with first things first, and that is what we are doing.”
The inmate transfers began on September 27, when about 25 percent of the Golden Grove Prison population was divided among three Virginia Commonwealth, Correctional Facilities; Keentmt, Fluvanna, and Wallenridge.
The decision to move the inmates came on the heels of the escape of three prison inmates; with the third and final escapee, 28-year-old Derrick Fredericks apprehended late Saturday on St. Croix.
The Governor, along with VI Attorney General Vincent Frazer, announced the appointments respectively of; Julius Wilson, a Virgin Islands native, as Director of the V.I. Bureau of Corrections and Hilary Herman as Assistant Director of the V.I. Bureau of Corrections.
Wilson was last employed by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, where he most recently served as Institutional Warden of the Richland Correctional Institution.
Wilson served as Chief Managing Officer and was responsible for the comprehensive supervision of institutions, including the development of policies, procedures and rules of operations.
Herman comes to the Territory from the island nation of St. Lucia, where he most recently served as the Director of the Bordelais Correctional Facility.
In the last five years, Herman led the deactivation of two of the island’s prisons and consolidated both staff and inmates, while commissioning the opening of the new five-hundred-bed Bordelais Correctional Facility, which he has overseen since its inception in January 2003.
As Director of Corrections, Herman spearheaded a reduction in the criminal recidivism rate from 67% to 34% .
Referring to the inmate transfer, the Governor stated, “The challenge to prevent the next 100 young people, teens and pre-teens, struggling to make better choices from ever becoming prisoners is on each and every one of us in this Territory. This is our challenge – a challenge we must all now do whatever it takes to meet and to overcome.” | | | | Reads : 730 | | | |
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