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Archive -Seychelles

Montagne Posée prison to undergo expansion |19 July 2018

Mr St Ange giving a PowerPoint presentation on the expansion project

The Montagne Posée prison will undergo expansion with new infrastructure and security features included.

It was the Superintendent of the Seychelles Prison, Raymond St Ange, who said this during a ceremony yesterday to launch the prison’s health and safety policy on the occasion of the International Nelson Mandela Day.

The policy is based on the United Nations’ (UN) Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, better known as the ‘Mandela Rules’.

This follows the introduction of a new health and safety unit for inmates and staff at the prison.

The document addressing the health and safety of prisoners in all areas of the prison was signed into a legal policy by Superintendent Raymond St Ange during a small ceremony held at the prison’s conference room.

Superintendent St Ange said that prior to the setting up of a health and safety unit, inspections with regard to health and safety in the prison were almost non-existent.

The policy based on the Mandela Rules will be an engagement for the prison authority to work on improving hygiene and safety for all prisoners, be it in the cells, kitchen, canteen or anywhere else on the premises.

The policy will also look at safety in the cases of fire outbreaks where the prison will have its own fire equipment and fighters consisting of inmates and staff as additional help to the conventional firefighters.

The policy will be part of a new strategic management plan to revamp the prison service being implemented which, according to Superintendent St Ange, is expected to be ISO certified within one year.

Apart from the administrative reform, the plan also includes infrastructure expansion on the existing prison for a better secured and controlled prison, for the benefit of the health and safety of prisoners and staff.

During the ceremony, Superintendent St Ange gave details of the plan for the infrastructure expansion of the prison which will centre around a recreational football pitch serving also as the evacuation point.

Work has already started with the fencing of some parts of the designated construction.

Present at yesterday’s ceremony were Ombudsman Nichole Tirant-Ghérardi; the deputy Superintendent, Samir Ghislain; prison Chaplain, Father Yves Ngowegui; members of the Prison Advisory Board, staff, inmates and other invitees

Apart from new infrastructure, the expansion will see new security features in terms of state of the art equipment to deter and detect contraband and will also see the introduction of a dog unit.

A group of prison wardens from Tanzania will arrive in the country soon to support the existing staff and tighten security for the time being.

Work on the expansion is expected to be completed in two years’ time.

“A lot of positive things are happening at the prison as most of our inmates are positive minded.  With our robust management plan, we are aiming for the highest standard in prison service in the region than any elsewhere,” Mr St Ange said.

The standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners was adopted as the Mandela Rules by the United Nations in 2015 to honour the legacy of the late South African President, Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison in the cause of his struggle for democracy and the promotion of peace.

Ombudsman Tirant-Ghérardi said that by making the public aware of what are the best practices going on or being done at the prison, this will surely raise its level of credibility locally as well as internationally.

Superintendent St Ange described yesterday’s event as a way to communicate with the public on the prison’s plans so as to address issues that will improve the conditions of inmates based on the UN Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners.

 

 

 

 

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