THE current population of Jamaica’s major prison, the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre (TSACC), is almost double the capacity of the close to 200- year-old institution located in Kingston.

According to the latest figures released by the Government, at the end of 2018, the TSACC was accommodating 1,619 convicts, or 90.5 per cent above its maximum prisoner capacity of 850.

The total prison population at all facilities is 3,698, 41 more than what it was at the end of 2017, but at that time 361 adults were already found guilty and were still awaiting sentencing.

The total prison population, which includes 791 being held in remand at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre on Spanish Town Road on the Kingston/lower St Andrew border. If the remanded prisoners are subtracted from the total prison population, the TSACC would be holding more than half the total number of people in prisons.

Minister of state in charge of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) Ruddy Spencer confirmed recently that the Government would be proceeding with plans to construct a maximum-security prison, which will replace the Tower Street facility.

Spencer said that lands for the building of the new prison have been identified and that construction is slated to begin next year. He was unable to give any timeline, however, for the project to start or to end.

“We are going to build an all-encompassing prison, far, far out of town. No cellphone will be able to go into (that) prison because part of the problem we’re having with the prisons now is the amount of cellphones that go into them [and get into the hands of inmates],” Spencer confirmed recently.

According to Government’s Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (ESSJ), which was tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, the main reason for the admissions was illegal possession of firearm/ammunition, with 19 per cent, followed by larceny/break-in and larceny of motor vehicles at 15.1 per cent.

Offences classified as “others” was next with 12 per cent, with murder/manslaughter/attempted murder next at 10.4 per cent.

According to the data from the survey, produced by STATIN, males accounted for 96.1 per cent of the 1,272 persons admitted in 2018. There were 113 foreign nationals (110 males) which, included 95 Nicaraguans. Approximately 50 of these individuals were unskilled. The figure also included 27 former members of the security services, including police, soldiers and security guards.

Of the 1,272 admissions last year, 808 or 95.5 per cent were male and were new to the system, while 138 were previously convicted but were not given custodial sentences and 326 were readmissions.

Over a half of those readmitted were between 21 and 35 years old, compared with previous years when persons 46 and over dominated that group.

First-time offenders accounted for 36.8 per cent of the admissions, 16.9 per cent had reoffended twice, 17.5 per cent had reoffended three times, and 12.3 per cent reoffended at least four times. The recidivism rate was 42.3 per cent, while the readmission rate was 30 per cent.

With regard to the length of the sentences, 23.3 per cent of those admitted were serving sentences of between 37 months and 10 years. At least 47 per cent will be released within 12 months, which creates the need for rehabilitative programmes to reduce the likelihood of readmission.