The recipients were among 24 persons who were awarded on Monday at Her Majesty’s Prison Superintendent’s Parade and Commendation Award Ceremony which was held at the Balsam Ghut facility.

They are Acting Principal Officer Sonia Musgrave and Jenene Edwards, Prison Officer II Kesena Okoro, and Acting Prison Officer II Walter Barrette and Alan Jackson.

Edwards, who is also the Admissions Manager was further awarded the Minister’s Award, while Barrette who is also the Restorative Justice Officer received the Superintendent Commendation Certificate. Jackson, in the meantime, she received the Superintendent Commendation Silver Award.

Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Augustus Jaspert commended all the officers for their dedication to providing an important service to the territory and explained the nature of the award.

He said: “The award is presented to persons who excel in one or more of the following areas. These are acts of bravery, policy and strategic planning, loyalty and self-sacrifice and as I read out those three areas, I am humbled by the jobs that you do knowing that those three things have to stay core to provide exceptional leadership.”

He added: “Actually, the decisions we make are implemented by you, the decisions that we take to keep our people safe as a territory is on your shoulders and I am very cognizant that at our level we detect the plans, the strategies, the work and we can recruit excellent people. But, actually, it comes down to the hard work, the integrity, the commitment, of our outstanding prison officers every single day of the year.”

More to come in 2021

Superintendent of Prisons, Verne Garde also thanked all of his prison officers for their excellent work over the years and declared that more is to come in the next calendar year with the plans already in store for the facility.

He said: “I want to say that come 2021, we will work harder than we have worked for the last three years to ensure that we build a more professional service because the work is not ended. And I am sure that at the end of that period the ceremonies will go on, the rehabilitation strategies that we try will go on.”

Meanwhile, during the parade, Minister responsible for Prison, Carvin Malone along with his Acting Permanent Secretary Tasha Bertie inspected the officers during their ceremonial march.