HM PRISON STILL UNDER LOCKDOWN

Her Majesty’s (HM) Prison will remain under “lockdown” until such time as the Superintendent of Prison Mr. Ashford Frett determines that the sanction can be lifted, according to a statement from the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The Ministry is also advising the public that prison visits have been suspended until further notice.  The Superintendent and the Prison staff would appreciate the full cooperation of affected family and friends during this period.

The Ministry stated that on Thursday, April 22 while the Superintendent of Prison and his staff continued efforts to restore conditions at the Prison to normalcy, a faction of three prisoners ambushed and viciously attacked the Deputy Superintendent of Prison, Mr. Edward Smith.  Mr. Smith had to be hospitalised overnight but he was subsequently discharged. 

The actions of those three prisoners demanded that swift action be taken to root out any further threat to safety and security.  Therefore, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) was once more called in to assist. After some negotiation, control was reinstated and the offending prisoners were temporarily reassigned to secure locations under the supervision of the RVIPF. 

In accordance with standard security procedures, the Prison was immediately locked down and an invasive search and assessment operation was undertaken.   According to the Ministry no prisoners were hurt and all were accounted for.

The Ministry of Education & Culture wishes to record its thanks to the Superintendent of Prison and the Prison staff, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, the Prison Visiting Committee and the two UK Prison Advisers for the diligence and care they exercised in trying to bring about a peaceful settlement in this matter.  The Ministry also wishes Deputy Superintendent Edward Smith a full and speedy recovery.

The Government is very much concerned about the unfortunate turn of events and has redoubled efforts to provide the necessary resources to meet the needs at Her Majesty’s Prison, the Ministry also stated.