PHILIPSBURG--Justice Minister Egbert Doran says he will be meeting with the Law Enforcement Council on a monthly basis to seek to improve the situation at the Pointe Blanche prison. He also said he will be appointing an official to deal with the Council’s recommendations.
Doran’s statements come after the Council issued a report that said the situation at the Pointe Blanche prison and remand centre is deteriorating and that most of the recommendations by both the Council and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) are not being followed up. The Council urges the Minister of Justice of St. Maarten to implement the recommendations by mid-2020.
According to the Council, it carried out inspections at the Pointe Blanche prison and remand centre, the youth rehabilitation centre “Miss Lalie Center” (MLC), the migrant detention centre in Simpson Bay and the police cells in Philipsburg in April and May.
Doran said he had met with the Council recently and had committed to having meetings on a monthly basis “to deal with the recommendations one-by-one.”
Coming out of the meeting, Doran said parties acknowledged that there is no body or organisation tasked with dealing with the recommendations. He said he will appoint someone to handle the recommendations directly.
“We know what the issues are, but now is the time to put someone responsible … to make sure all the Ts and Is are crossed,” said Doran.
He also said the issue has his full attention. “Having worked in the prison and seen the situation first-hand, having been to the prison as a Member of Parliament and now as a Minister about two times, I know [the situation – Ed.] from in and out.”
