Prison farms said to be increasingly productive

Amidst the challenges faced, significant strides are apparently being made at the prison farm at Belle Isle; and female inmates will soon be housed at their new building there.

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT on April 11, acting Superintendent of Prisons Dwayne Bailey, said that since 2022 the prison farm at Belle Isle has seen a significant increase in the types of produce being grown.

Bailey said that this success came after a ‘fair’ amount of inmates took part in the farming programme and a large number of them received training in that regard.

He said during the COVID-19 outbreak aspects of production came to a halt but resumed in 2022.

Bailey said a large variety of root crops are being produced and when harvested they are usually added to the prisoners’ diets.

He said though, that there is a problem preserving the vegetables over a sustained period after they are harvested. This is because there isn’t a storage place to help in the preservation of the produce. As a result, it is difficult to add all the varieties of produce into the diets of the inmates on a daily basis when some crops are not being harvested.

Recently, SEARCHLIGHT was present at the High Court #2 when an inmate who is being housed at Belle Isle complained of a diet that consists of rice daily. He also said that when fruits are served they are usually deprived of some of these fruits.

Bailey explained to SEARCHLIGHT that when too much fruit is taken to the prison, inmates sometimes take these fruits and try to make alcoholic wine. Due to this, he said there is a stipulation regarding the amount of fruits that prisoners can receive on a daily basis.

He told SEARCHLIGHT that there are many on-going rehabilitative programmes in the prison where inmates have been exposed to different trades such as welding in the workshop.
He said later this month there will be a graduation ceremony for persons who participated in a business training course.

Additionally, a female wing will soon be opened on the compound of the Belle Isle Correctional Facility which Bailey said is expected to comfortably house between 40- 45 female prisoners. The acting Prison Superintendent said work has been taking place at the prison for a long time but there are some administrative issues that have to be dealt with before the women are relocated. Fourteen female prisoners are currently incarcerated at His Majesty’s Prisons in Kingstown and Bailey said this accommodation is not the “ideal place for them.”