The strike by inmates at the Pointe Blanche prison first reported on in Wednesday’s paper prompted Justice Minister Ana Richardson to leave that morning’s weekly press briefing and have an emergency meeting with the management team (see related story). It also coincided with a motion passed in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament to tie further liquidity support for St. Maarten to its detention capacity.
The latter may not be the worst thing in the world, because – despite the best of intentions – reconstruction, repairs and upgrades particularly since the already-in-a-poor-state correctional facility was damaged significantly by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017 have been slow to materialise. This is certainly the case in the eyes of both the Law Enforcement Council and Plans of Approach Progress Committee.
Reasons include lack of finances but also a shortage of qualified workers to do certain specialised jobs penitentiaries require, while the number of active guards remains lower than intended. Following recent violent incidents detainees are also worried about their safety and health.
It must be said, government has allocated funds in this year’s budget for a new prison, although more will be needed. Minister Richardson intends to present a proposal to Parliament soon, but future conditions set by The Hague could include clear goals and firm target dates.
And it is not just about the physical aspect. Education, recreation and, above all, resocialisation are also important to prevent a revolving-door justice system that produces mostly career criminals. The minister mentioned existing rehabilitation activities, books in the library and General Education Classes as well as use of the gym and adequate medical care, but few will doubt there remains room for improvement.
The somewhat ironic thing is that State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Raymond Knops from the beginning excluded using – still largely unspent – means from the Recovery and Resilience Trust Fund managed by the World Bank to build a prison on the island. Over two years later with relatively little achieved so far, maybe it is time he changed his mind
