Jamaica to Build Multi-Billion-Dollar Prison For 4,000 Inmates

KINGSTON, Jamaica – National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang says Jamaica plans to build a new multi-billion-dollar prison in the central parish of St Catherine that will accommodate about 4,000 inmates.

Dr Horace ChangThe facility is expected to cost approximately J$30 billion and will include rehabilitation programmes, as well as separate areas for lower- and higher-risk inmates.

Speaking on Radio Jamaica earlier this week, Chang said several older correctional facilities are expected to be closed once the new prison becomes operational, as it will have sufficient capacity to accommodate inmates transferred from those facilities.

Among the facilities slated for closure are the Tower Street and Spanish Town adult correctional centres.

However, Chang said the Tamarind Farm Adult Correctional Centre, also in St Catherine, is likely to remain open because of its rehabilitation programmes.

“They are doing so very interesting rehab work there,” he said, noting that the facility currently produces “enough poultry meat and eggs for the entire population,” along with other agricultural products.

Chang said the agricultural activities are part of a modern rehabilitation programme designed to train inmates in various skills.

The Richmond Farm Adult Correctional Centre in St Mary, which houses inmates classified as “very low-risk,” could also remain operational.

On the possibility of private-sector involvement in the construction or operation of the new facility, Chang said the option had not been completely ruled out, but was not currently a priority for the government.

“I wouldn’t say (the idea) is completely discarded, because things change on an ongoing basis, but it is not something that is on the front burner for us at this point in time.”