Renovations Underway at Richmond Farm Adult Correctional Centre

Works are in progress to renovate the Richmond Farm Adult Correctional Centre in St. Mary.

During a recent tour of the facility, State Minister for National Security, Hon. Zavia Mayne, pointed out that the aging institution is in need of improvement.

“The structure here is old. It’s a property that consists of approximately 300 hectares so, there is need, clearly, for some upgrades to be done here. What is good is that the work is underway…some work has started on the roof, a contract is in place (and) contractors are on premises,” he told JIS News.

Mr. Mayne noted that although all the scope of work “cannot be done at the same time”, there is a plan in place to ensure order.

“The resources to transform this facility will be significant so this is not something that can be done at once. But bit by bit, there’s a programme, there’s a strategy and there’s a clear order in which things will be done,” he pointed out.

The State Minister has been embarking on a series of tours of correctional centres across the island, to assess their conditions.

He visited the New Broughton Sunset Adult Correctional Centre in Manchester and the Diamond Crest Facility in St. Elizabeth on August 10.

“It (the visits) gives us an opportunity to examine the conditions under which persons work and also the conditions under which inmates are being held,” he noted.

Furthermore, the successful rehabilitation of inmates, especially as they leave prison and re-enter society, is a critical part of the Ministry’s objectives.

The Richmond Farm Adult Correctional Centre was formerly a sugar plantation and great house, before being commissioned into service in 1944.

As a farm institution, agriculture is one of the main activities at the facility. It is also regarded as a low security institution by the Department of Correctional Services.