KINGSTON, Jamaica - The Government says it will spend about $60 million to relocate prisoners from the Fort Agusta Adult Correctional Centre in St Catherine.

The approximately 250 female inmates will be moved to the South Camp Road Rehabilitation Centre in Kingston.

During a tour of the centre yesterday, Minister of National Security, Peter Bunting noted that the majority of correctional facilities island wide were archaic. He added that the South Camp facility is by far the most modern adult correctional centre.

According to Bunting, with this in mind the Government sought to convert it to accommodate juvenile girls and adult women.

He said that the facility was designed for high-risk male prisoners but plans were underway to modify the operations.

Meanwhile Acting Commissioner of Corrections, Colonel Sean Prendergast, said that the relocation costs also involved the removal of assets from Fort Augusta, including a containerised trade training centre.

Colonel Prendergrast said $ 25-million have been earmarked for the construction and refurbishment of the Camp Road facility to make it suitable to accommodate a female population.

He was however unable to give a clear timeline for the relocation.

The land on which the Fort Augusta Adult Correctional centre sits has been purchased by the Port Authority of Jamaica for planned expansion of the port.

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