Prison boss Colonel Trevor Pennyfeather is calling for a back-up location to house prisoners in the event of a storm as the region braces for peak hurricane season.
He expressed concerns to Observer about the inadequacy of the national prison’s infrastructure.
He said he had written to the Director of the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) to arrange a meeting to address hurricane preparedness for the institution’s inmates.
“Of course, we know that the buildings are old and we do need to get an alternate site earmarked and prepared in the event we have a serious storm, and that is in process,” he said.
“We have written to NODS, having had several verbal discussions with the Director of NODS, for us to find a suitable site to ensure that in the event that we find ourselves to be impacted by a serious storm, that we are able to move or relocate the inmates prior to such a move, given the vulnerabilities of some of the buildings that we have and so on.
“All in all, I think things are going pretty well, but the infrastructure will always be an issue,” he said.
Currently, more than 200 prisoners are housed at the Coronation Road facility which was built in the mid 18th century.