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by pltm
(PLTM) - As widely recommended, inmates from Her Majesty’s Prison will be engaged in the beautification of the Territory, through manual labor.
Mr. Jeffery Skelton, Director within the Public Works Department disclosed that prisoners will be assigned to the department to assist in cleaning the Territory’s streets and bush cutting.
Mr. Skelton was at the time responding to questions from legislators during 2017 budget discussions.
Following conversations with the Superintendent of Prisons, Mr. David Foot, Mr. Skelton noted that it was agreed that five prison inmates would be granted to the department to work on a three week trial run.
If all goes well following the trial period, the department would be granted an additional five inmates to assist with their projects.
With this move, Mr. Skelton stated that the department would be able to do a lot more.
This move comes a year after former Opposition Leader and District Three Representative, Hon. Julian Fraser made the suggestion to other legislators.
During the 2016 Standing Finance Committee deliberations, Hon. Fraser suggested that inmates should help clean up the Territory as part of a work release programme at the penitentiary.
Hon. Fraser went on to question why the concentration was only on popular jobs and not on unpopular jobs, such as cleaning of the community and marking of streets, to which Mr. Foot had noted that work done by prisoners includes work on roads around the islands. Hon. Fraser also suggested that consideration could also be given to have prisoners work on historical sites within the Territory.
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