The V.I. Bureau of Corrections will host two town halls this week, one on St. Thomas and one on St. Croix, to talk about the V.I. Bureau of Corrections and the local justice system.
The meetings will be held:
– 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Charles Wesley Turnbull Regional Public Library in Tutu Park Mall on St. Thomas;
– And 1 to 4:30 p.m. Friday at the V.I. Cardiac Center at the Juan F. Luis Memorial Hospital on St. Croix.
The town halls come at the conclusion of a jail and justice system assessment performed by the National Institute of Corrections. The accumulated information results in an assessment of the Bureau of Corrections’ needs and observations about the local criminal justice system that affect the jail population and opportunities for improvement, according to a statement from the BOC.
The territory’s Golden Grove Adult Correctional Institution on St. Croix and detention center on St. Thomas are both under federal consent decrees to improve conditions. The NIC assessment and the town hall meetings are not related to those decrees, according to BOC Public Information Officer Regina Watson.
"Basically, we just want the public to know about what affects the jail population," Watson said Monday.
This assessment will help to give everyone an idea of where the system and facilities stand when compared to industry standards and best practice, according to BOC, which is encouraging the entire community to attend.