Chairman of the Jamaica Federation of Corrections, Arlington Turner, says after 20 years of talk,
he is hopeful that the announcement that a maximum security prison partly funded by the UK Government will come to fruition.
The Government is to receive a grant of £25 million for the construction of the facility which should accommodate up to 2,000 inmates.
Jamaica will have to find the rest of the funds for the prison.
Turner says correctional officers have welcomed the announcement, as working conditions at the island’s two maximum security facilities are less than ideal.
Turner was involved in a meeting earlier this year during which plans for a new maximum security facility were reviewed.
It was stated that a new facility to be built in St. Catherine would house the entire population of the Tower Street and St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centres.
