In the wake of firings of the top personnel at the Corrections Bureau Friday by acting Gov. Gerard Luz James II, Sen. V. Anne Golden issued a statement Monday saying that the territory's prison system was a disaster waiting to happen.
Golden added the abrupt firings were a "knee jerk reaction not a solution."
Acting Gov. Gerard Luz James II Friday announced he had fired Corrections Bureau Director Gina Harrison and assistant Director Gerald Enos.
In a release from Government House James said after reviewing problems in the Corrections Bureau he decided to make the change in order to "improve its operations."
However, Golden said that District Court Judge Stanley Brotman, who visited the territory last week, was satisfied that Harrison was doing her best.
Brotman has been pushing the territory to improve prison conditions and correct under- staffing. In fact a number of court mandates going back as far as 1985 ordering the V.I. government to correct conditions in the prisons ranging from overcrowding to sanitation remain unmet.
Golden charged Monday that bureaucratic red tape and delayed decision making were the cause of the prison systems inadequacies.
She expressed concern that guards at the Golden Grove facility are on the threshold of going on strike due to a shortage of prison guards resulting in forced overtime. The St. Croix center said after working overtime the guards are then not paid for their overtime.
Enos had reportedly made many attempts to tell administration officials about the rising discontent among the guards, but no one would talk to him.
"This is a sad situation and could have grave impact on this territory," Golden said.
