The controversial long-time use of unhygienic slop buckets at His Majesty’s Prison could soon be a thing of the past.
Human rights campaigners have long decried the archaic way many inmates must dispose of bodily waste, which they say has no place in the 21st century.
Prison Superintendent Colonel Trevor Pennyfeather told Observer he had been flabbergasted to see such a system still in place when he took up position last February.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes that we were still doing that,” he said, adding that the method is not just unpleasant but that it poses serious health and safety risks too.
“There’s the infestation of flies, and the odour,” he continued. “Inmates throw it at each other and officers; officers have been drenched time and time again over the years.”
Colonel Pennyfeather cited the introduction of flushing toilets into the colonial era building, which dates back to the mid-18th century, as a personal priority.
“In many of the areas they are still using pails at night and then dumping the waste into a larger container for disposal by the Central Board of Health.
“It’s one of the greatest areas in the prison that needs to be addressed; it should have been addressed years ago,” he said.
The prison boss said assessments have already been made by the ministries of health and public works to facilitate a modern sewage processing system.
“It’s just for us now to get the funding to ensure it is put in place. It’s all been put into the budget; we are just waiting for the approval,” he added.
