The Superintendent made the statement during the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) for the 2022 budget estimates at Maria’s By The Sea.
According to the SFC report, Superintendent Hill, “stated that there are over fifty prisoners on remand, ranging from six months to three years.”
Just recently, in the feature address to mark the opening of the new Law Year, Chief Justice Dame Janice M. Pereira complained about the increasing number of persons on remand across the Eastern Caribbean states.
She said on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, that this is not a step in the right direction for the justice system.
“There has been an increase in the number of persons on remand in already overcrowded prisons. This does not bode well for any state and has serious implications for the maintenance and promotion of the rule of law and indeed the peace and security of us all.”
“It is disheartening and quite troubling when those accused of inflicting harm and those who have suffered harm find common ground in lamenting the seemingly interminable wait for justice,” she stated.
According to the Chief Justice, the “criminal justice system is in dire need of robust reform.”
The Superintendent stated that one hundred and sixteen 116 prisoners in total: one hundred 100 adults, and six females.
HMP is able to house 140 prisoners.