Superintendent of Prison, Kenrick Jean Jacques is lauding the efforts of the state institution for the manner in which it has handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the prison boss, the institution has been proactive and was forced to put preventative measures in place so as to safeguard the health of all concerned. He said that though the changes were sudden and drastic, they were well-intentioned.
“COVID -19 came on us like a thief in the night. We knew it started in Wuhan, China. Then it finally came across all over the world. We took our lead from the Government of Dominica and we kept abreast of all the press releases and the statements that were being issued. Based on the actions that were taken, and as soon as the cases became closer to Dominica, we at the prisons took certain decisions.
“One of the decisions that we took was to suspend visits. Also, it was felt that we should not take fruits or anything from the relatives of inmates. However, we not being able to provide fruits and vegetables and the likes, we then gave the relatives the opportunity to drop off stuff and we set up a protocol to deal with the stuff that was sent and make sure that it was sanitized and cleaned before we gave it to the inmates,” he informed.
He continued, “We also instituted handwashing at the gate and so everybody coming in, officers and visitors alike, their temperature would be taken and they would be given soap and water so that they could wash their hands.”
Due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, a makeshift quarantine facility was set up at the prison grounds to accommodate new inmates.
“We also instituted, for our new inmates coming in, a quarantine section. We set up nine cells in one area and also one for females. So any female coming in would be placed in quarantine and all the males would be placed in quarantine for two weeks.
“During the time that they are in quarantine, we checked their temperature for any signs of illness. We followed the protocols strictly from the Ministry of Health. Before we moved anybody, we consulted our doctor and we told the doctor what their temperature readings were and that kind of stuff. Then we got the green light to move them from quarantine to the general population,” Jean Jacques said while explaining the protocols instituted.
As a means of easing up the tension for inmates and providing a level of comfort, the staff at the island’s lone penitentiary came up with innovative ideas.
“We also instituted more recreational time because since we were not having visits we were allowing the inmates to be out more. For the last couple of weekends we had been having football competitions, cells against cells for those remanded and convicted as a means of keeping them occupied.
So we tried things because being locked up can be very frustrating especially now that they were not able to see their relatives. So these were some of the measures we put in place to ease the frustration and to release some tension,” he further stated.
The institution, according to Jean Jacques, has weathered the storm very well thus far and has kept everyone safe.
“Generally, I mean the prison environment is very safe. We had to take certain protocols such as adhering to the social distancing, wearing of the masks, washing of the hands and sanitizing hands, and so on. So we have to take it seriously and we emphasize to the inmates as well. I even instructed to give them more soaps so they can wash their hands more often.
“The inmates understood what we were doing in terms of the visitation since we brought in a medical doctor to talk to them concerning what was happening with the disease in Dominica and worldwide. Then they understood what we were talking about and why we were doing what we were doing,” he posited.
No cases were reported at the state prison and no inmate was released based on the virus. To date, 201 males and three females make up the prison population. Jean Jacques reiterated that though he has the situation under control and that the inmates are not under any threat or stress, they will continue to be vigilant and not let down their guards.