The Pointe Blanche Inmates Association (PBIA) recently filed an injunction against country St. Maarten regarding safety concerns and a number of other issues at the local prison. The Court of First Instance has scheduled a ruling on March 31 (see Monday paper).
Regardless of the final outcome, the handling of this case produced some valuable information. For one thing, it was stated that containers with a new detection gate, beds, chairs and sportswear had arrived at the penitentiary, although no commitments regarding dates or deadlines were made.
Construction of a fence will start on June 16 and locks are to be installed per July 31. There is a temporary management guided by a judicial taskforce and the goal is to complete a new, financially sustainable maintenance plan for 2018 by April 15.
All this obviously did not satisfy the plaintiffs with a list of 15 grievances and their lawyers. They want to see action on improvements and security measures right away. Also, nothing was said about metal detectors, training of guards, education and recreation for detainees or visiting hours for attorneys. Government answered that not all complaints could be dealt with in the short-term plan to normalise the situation in the correctional institution, because priorities had to be set.
The judge reasoned that asking the inmates for understanding might be a stretch, as they are very worried about their safety. Nevertheless, considering all that has been said and written about the prison in the past years, including the Plan of Approach, the Action Plan of 2016 and recommendations of the Law Enforcement Council, it now seems the problems are at least being taken seriously and addressed within the means at the Justice Ministry’s disposal.
