Adding detention space at the Foreign Detention Center (FDC) in Simpson Bay (see related story) in principle makes good sense. The plan is to house 16 low-risk inmates there while the new Point Blanche Prison is being built.
They will be accommodated in an upgraded and unused section of the building. This means it won’t be at the expense of existing facilities for deportees.
The idea is not new. Former Justice Minister Roland Duncan in the past wanted to send prisoners back-and-forth to the complex where the Simpson Bay Police Station is also located on a daily basis so they could spend the morning and afternoon hours there to facilitate emergency repairs at Point Blanche.
In this case Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) signed a partnership to temporarily increase the current capacity as part of the ministry’s broader Detention Sector Reform Program (DSRP). Key word is “temporarily,” with the intervention expected to take about nine months from approval by all parties to handover.
The move is intended to ease current capacity constraints, support the work of prosecutors and courts, as well as reduce risks associated with overcrowding while construction of the new Point Blanche Prison under guidance of UNOPS continues. Once the new prison is operational and the temporary arrangement is no longer needed, the area will be returned to the Immigration Service for immigration-related detention.
UNOPS will oversee the design, procurement and execution of the upgrades aimed at improving safety, functionality and conditions. The works will be guided by national regulations and relevant international detention standards, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, commonly known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.
The latter is important, because St. Maarten has been publicly warned more than once by the UN Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment CPT. The country does not need another slap on the wrist.
