The government is facing increased pressure to take immediate steps to address the dilapidated state of the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston or construct a new facility.
This follows Friday’s discovery of holes being dug at the facility in an apparent prison escape plot.
The Jamaica Federation of Corrections on Sunday called for a new prison to be constructed.
In a subsquent interview, Arlington Turner, Chairman of the Federation, told RJR News that the process will start with formal communication being made with the National Security Ministry about the matter.
Mr. Turner said the situation cannot continue and an intervention is needed.
“What we will do is to communicate with the ministry… reiterating our call that we need a new maximum security (prison),” he asserted.
Mr. Turner argued that Jamaica’s two maximum security prisons are hundreds of years old and are beyond repair.
“There are some things that exist within these two maximum security prisons which (are) a detriment. It’s just because of the input of the staff (and) the vigilance of correctional officers why we don’t have some massive escape taking place in these two 17th and 18th century prisons,” he contended.
He was maintained that correctional officers remain undaunted by the task to ensure the integrity of Jamaica’s prisons.
“We must now ensure that we put some measures in place to protect the two maximum security prisons in the island and all our correctional facilities. This is our duty and we continue to do so,” Turner insisted.