March 22, 2007 — V.I. District Court Judge Stanley Brotman recently noted that "considerable improvements" have been made to prison and detention facilities on St. Thomas, according to Attorney General Vincent Frazer.
In a press release sent Thursday from Government House, Frazer said that Brotman, after a recent inspection, "appeared pleased" with efforts made by the Bureau of Corrections to address "long-standing deficiencies" in both the prison and detention center — including the level of custody and care being provided to mentally challenged inmates.
Brotman's inspection came as a result of a decision he handed down early last month, which held Gov. John deJongh Jr. and other government officials in contempt of court for failing to provide court-ordered mental health care and appropriate housing for mentally ill prisoners at the territory's jails (See "Judge Finds V.I. Government in Contempt of Court for Treatment of Mentally Ill Prisoners).
While Brotman said that the Bureau of Corrections and prison facilities on St. Thomas are "poised to begin the process" of coming into compliance with various national standards, he highlighted the need for a forensic psychiatric facility, where the local "mentally challenged population" can receive a higher level of care, the release says.
Frazer also said Brotman recognized the bureau's current staffing shortages — a fact made all too clear by the recent escape of an inmate on St. Thomas. According to an article in Thursday's edition of the Daily News, 31-year-old Hector Castro has been on the loose for the past five days, ever since he failed to return from a lunch break while on work detail at a site in Sub Base.
In the article, Frazer said that an announcement about the incident should have been released by the Department of Justice soon after the incident occurred. However, he added that the agency has been somewhat hampered by its lack of a public relations officer.
Repeated calls to Frazer for comment on the escaped prisoner were not returned on Thursday.
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