June 10, 2008 — Following complaints by inmates and staff of dismal conditions at the Golden Grove Prison, Gov. John deJongh Jr. paid an unannounced visit to the facility over the weekend to gauge the extent of the problems for himself.
"We saw some areas which require immediate attention for the safety and well-being of those who reside and work" at the prison, deJongh said Tuesday in a statement released following his tour of prison areas Sunday, including cell blocks, medical, kitchen and recreation areas.
The governor toured Golden Grove Prison "to see firsthand the conditions so as to have a better understanding of the complaints and concerns of the corrections officers, BOC staff and inmates," according to the statement. Following his assessment of prison conditions, deJongh said, "There is funding available for a feasibility study and design of a new prison on St. Croix."
Also present during Sunday's tour were acting Warden Diane Prosper and Attorney General Vincent Frazer, whose office has oversight responsibility over the territory's prisons. The governor said he is committed to working with Frazer to ensure that conditions improve for both the prison staff and the inmate population.
Golden Grove Prison, which is four decades old, "is not only showing its age, but its physical configuration has put tremendous limitations on the staff and the living conditions of the detainees and inmates," deJongh said.
The governor's visit came a week after he authorized payment of overtime hours for Bureau of Corrections officers that had been "lingering since 2004," his spokesman Jean Greaux said Tuesday afternoon.
Greaux did not have immediate access to the total overtime dollars owed to BOC officers, but noted that it was "in excess of $2.1 million."
The money paid was solely for overtime hours and did not include fringe benefits, Greaux said Tuesday, following the released statement about the governor's visit. With the exception of top prison staff and Frazer, the governor's visit was largely unannounced, Greaux said.
"The visit marked the first time in recent history that a governor visited the prison at Golden Grove," he said, adding that deJongh's visit was consistent with the administration's efforts to bring reform to law-enforcement entities in the territory.
Similar visits to the St. Thomas jail and its annex are planned for the future.
Following the tour, deJongh thanked prison staff, whom he said "report to work each day despite the many challenges which confront them."
"I thank these public servants for doing their part in ensuring the safety and well-being of the prison population in the territory," deJongh said.
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