Wednesday’s fire at the prison in Point Blanche (see related story) has significant consequences. Inmates refused to enter their cells and apparently set a fire. Three also ended up being treated by ambulance personnel for minor injuries.
The exact circumstances are under investigation and the extent of material damage was still being assessed. However, 51 detainees could not sleep in their cells that night, which is more than half the current population of 80.
They were temporarily housed at the Philipsburg police station holding facility and in the penitentiary itself making use of other spaces, with beds provided by the Dutch marines. The latter, along with the St. Maarten Police Force KPSM, the Royal Marechaussee and the St. Maarten Volunteer Corps VKS are assisting guards to maintain order, ensuring the safety of all involved
Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling rightly spoke of a crisis in her afternoon update. Although a new US $52 million prison is being built with guidance from the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), a project to which the Netherlands contributed 30 million euros, it won’t be completed until 2028.
But prisoners have been complaining about conditions in the complex and its lacking facilities for a good while. Due to an acute capacity shortage, sentences – usually for non-violent crimes – are not promptly executed, often for years.
For the same reason, inmates sometimes get released even earlier than after serving the usual two-thirds of their term, to make room for newcomers. Warranted or not, these things can create an undesirable perception of arbitrariness and favouritism.
Short-term solutions including emergency repairs with input from UNOPS will now be needed. In the meantime, the Simpson Bay police station and other detention options were being considered and kingdom partners have been approached to see where they can help.
Keep in mind, however, that St. Maarten already has several inmates locked up Dutch jails that cost the country a lot of money, while the other islands have limited availability too. One possibility might be to quickly prepare the container cells that remain unused near the Turning Point drugs rehab.
Most important is to to keep the situation under control and secure for the benefit of everyone both in- and outside those walls.
