Prison proponents court hearts in Hartlands

The proposed 300-acre plot of land identified for the construction of a state-of-the-art correctional facility is creating anxious moments for residents of Hartlands and adjoining communities in St Catherine.

The St Catherine and Tower Street prisons are overpopulated and have been described as outdated, compromising the mandate for inmate rehabilitation.

But residents who gathered on Tuesday for a consultation meeting at the Hartlands Baptist Church wrestled with the short- and long-term impact, which could have both positive and negative consequences.

Some householders focused mainly on the economic benefits to be derived from the construction phase, arguing that labourers would be able to snare worksite jobs.

“I want the prison to be constructed here, because in the short term, there will be a lot of skilled and unskilled work for people in Hartlands. Some could even be correctional officers in the future,” a resident told the consultation meeting.

But that assertion evoked strong resistance from a Whitewater resident, who suggested that many living there were not sold on the idea of a penal institution in the community.

That concern centred around the looming stigma from the transportation of prisoners to the facility, with Whitewater residents fearing that their community’s real estate value might be eroded, making it less attractive to prospective homeowners.

“Prisons carry negative connotations and we in Whitewater would prefer if this prison was located farther away from our community,” the unidentified resident said.

The suggestion of lands farther south of the proposed site was pitched as a possible alternative.

Others highlighted the repair of the main road and provision of adequate water supply as long-term benefits that would accrue from the construction of the prison.

Approximately 23 farmers who now occupy more than 200 acres of the proposed lands are fearful that they will be ejected from their holdings.

Ann Marie Goulbourne, manager at Environmental Solutions Ltd, which, along with the overseas-based Castalia Advisors, has been given the nod to conduct pre-feasibility consultation, suggested to residents that the project would not disrupt their lives.

“While the issue of location is of primary concern to farmers, assurances have been given by the SCJ, which provided the 300 acres, that they are willing to relocate farmers to other suitable agricultural lands nearby,” Goulbourne told The Gleaner on Tuesday.

Goulbourne said that the engagement was a precursor to future such endeavours with other stakeholders, noting that the concerns that emerged were documented for further discussion at future virtual consultations.

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang recently announced that the Government would be financing the state-of-the-art correctional facility out of pocket after the country snubbed an offer from the then Cameron administration in Britain to part-finance construction of a new penal facility.

ruddy.mathison@gleanerjm.com