| Prisons dangerously understaffed, official warns |
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| Written by Gordon French | |
| Friday, 27 June 2008 | |
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“It is a major cause for concern, especially with the type of inmates we have. It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” said Kenton Callwood, Acting Superintendent of Prisons. During the opening of a new building that fits an immigration detention center and female prison, Callwood said the ratio of inmate to officer on any given shift is 23 to 1, hence if the prison is to achieve its goal and objectives, they must be provided with the requisite staff and training to facilitate these processes. “We are hopeful that government will work with us. The way in which we are understaffed, is major cause for concern, especially with the type of inmates we are now seeing entering the system,” Callwood said. However, a source at the prisons disclosed that Government will find difficulty in recruiting qualified officers because of “low pay and insufficient benefits.” The source who asked not to be named in this article said that the work in the prisons can sometimes be dangerous, as inmates are always looking for a way out of confinement, even though they might appear as being the friendliest. It is estimated that the prisons which was built with a capacity of 120 inmates, now houses some 104 persons after six prisoners were recently discharged. Staff at the prison is stretched thin, Callwood noted. He added that they have to manage the female section, juvenile, reception control center, maximum security section and the custodial sections.
Recruitment During the interview, Callwood explained that the prison will soon embark on a major recruitment drive, but noted that the campaign may take several months because of the stringent requirements. He said that while he encourages locals to seek employment, prison officials would not close the gates on recruits from other countries. “We would love our locals, but we cannot exclusively recruit BVIslanders, we intend to widen our search, which might take a while longer. We are trying to do away with hiring people just to fill vacancies. We are planning extensive background checks in an effort to get the best personnel. Working at the prison is no easy task, you have to get your mind conditioned because it’s a job where you are always at risk,” Callwood noted. Comments (0)
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