Prisoners who have completed their sentence at Her Majesty’s Prisons Dodds will be released and reunited with their families.
That is the assurance of Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams, who said the policy of “no one in, no one out” that was implemented at the start of the outbreak had been lifted slightly.
And, while no one has been released to date, the Minister said efforts were being made to “fast track” inmates who had completed their sentence, so they could return home.
Speaking during a press conference at the St. Philip penal institution last evening, the Minister explained that under the arrangement, those scheduled for release would be separated from the remaining population on a “rolling 28-day period”.
He added that they would be tested twice, and after receiving two negative tests, and medical professionals were satisfied that they did not pose a danger to themselves or to anyone on the outside, the prisoner would be “free to go”.
“We do not want to keep a person in prison a day or second longer than they have to be there. If you have served your sentence, and you have done your time, it is our priority to try to get you out so that you can be reunited with your family,” the Minister stated.
He noted that the more people who could be released out of the prison meant that greater focus could be placed on those who had to be there at this point because there was no option.
Superintendent of Prisons, Lieutenant Colonel John Nurse, said there were approximately 26 inmates scheduled for release this month, and noted that efforts were being made to see how that could be achieved safely.
He added that the roll out of the releases was expected shortly, and would continue as the month unfolds.