Deep-rooted and ancient as the prison itself, the issues at His Majesty’s Prison have stumped every Superintendent of Prisons so far.
However, new Superintendent Colonel Trevor Pennyfeather, spent the first few months of his tenure trying to achieve what his predecessors have long struggled to do.
“My first concern is the human resource issue, and that includes the integrity issue, the addition of staff and the training of that staff.
“The second issue is to deal with the conditions at the prison and that goes from the infestation, the overcrowding, matters of sanitation, meals and dietary controls of inmates, along with their medical,” Colonel Pennyfeather explained.
His Majesty’s Prison, better known as ‘1735’ — the day it was originally built, has seen several superintendents come and go, each detailing the challenges of managing the prison.
One of the biggest challenges noted was the longstanding problem with the prison infrastructure.
“There are two or three projects that need immediate attention, and that is why, with the assistance of National Housing, I am trying to get some of these [prison] cells completed, so that I have a bit more wiggle room in terms of space.
“But there are complete divisions that need to be totally renovated and basically put back online, but that is work for government,” he noted.
The institution was meant to house just around 150 persons more than 200 years ago, but has now ballooned in terms of population into around 400 individuals.
Another issue which plagues the prison has been security, especially prisoners escaping from the compound in recent years.
Recently, Observer media was informed by Colonel Pennyfeather that a prisoner escaped through a well-known breach in the perimeter, only to return hours later.
This breach in security is at the top of the mind of the prison boss, who told our newsroom “I have already established, through the Ministry of Education, at the eastern wall we will build an external wire fence that would take up what was earmarked for the TN Kirnon [Primary School’s] agriculture programme…just for safety and security reasons.”