Prison service unveils ambitious sustainability, reform plan

Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams has announced a comprehensive strategic plan for the Barbados Prison Service, focusing on sustainability, self-sufficiency, and human resource development.

The plan, unveiled during the institution’s 167th-anniversary church service at Dunamis Outreach Ministries on Sunday, aims to modernise the prison service, enhance its operational efficiency, and strengthen its role in national security.

At the heart of the strategy is a push towards environmental sustainability and self-reliance.

“The prison service is set to become a green, energy-efficient organisation,” Abrahams declared, explaining that this transition is part of a larger national movement towards reducing the country’s carbon footprint.

The minister emphasised the importance of making the service more self-reliant through the enhancement of its farming and industrial programmes.

“The prison will become a self-sufficient entity with reliance on its farming programme and industries such as auto body repairs, mechanics, woodworking, leather craft, and upholstery,” he said.

Abrahams outlined plans to improve the prison service’s management of critical resources, particularly water.

“The prison service will focus on the efficient and sustained usage, harvesting, and storage of water,” he said, stressing the need for responsible management to minimise waste and ensure smooth operations, even during shortages.

The strategic plan also places significant emphasis on human resource development. Abrahams underscored the importance of investing in the well-being and skills of both staff and inmates.

“Its focus on the development of its human resource capital will be critical in ensuring the success of these initiatives,” he said, adding that training programmes will be expanded and talent management within the prison service will become a priority.

A key focus of the plan is increasing the success of inmate rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.

“The need to increase the successful re-entry of prisoners into the community is critical,” the home affairs minister said, emphasising that access to educational and vocational programmes within the prison is vital for inmates to make meaningful changes in their lives.

He also stressed the continued importance of national security.

“Our resolve to combat and confront any threats remains utterly steadfast, and national security rightly remains at the centre of everything that we do,” he affirmed, highlighting the importance of collaboration with other security agencies.

Abrahams warned prison officers to maintain their integrity, stating: “Do not allow any individual, whether with money or without, to compromise you or cause you to compromise your standards or your integrity to the organisation.”

The government has pledged its support for the prison service as it embarks on this transformation. Abrahams said they were positioning the Barbados Prison Service to be a model of efficiency, sustainability, and self-sufficiency: “This will not only enhance our ability to rehabilitate and reintegrate inmates but also ensure we are contributing positively to the broader national community.”

(RG)