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From The Times
October 29, 2007
Only 1 per cent of Jamaican prisoners will be sent home
Richard Ford, Home Correspondent
Fewer than 1 per cent of the 1,400 Jamaicans in jail in England and Wales will return home to serve their sentences under a deal agreed between the British and Jamaican Governments.
The prison transfer agreement also bars the repatriation of dangerous criminals, including Jamaican yardies, to serve their sentences.
Only 40 Jamaican offenders will leave jails in England and Wales to return home to serve their sentences and many of these are expected to be women.
There are currently 97 Jamaican women in jails in England and Wales and priority for repatriation will be those with children back home.
Gordon Brown told MPs last week that an agreement with Jamaica and potential deals with other countries with large numbers of nationals in jails would lead to prisoners being returned as “expeditiously as possible”.
The deal with Jamaica, which has yet to be ratified by Parliaments in London and Kingston, is limited in both the numbers who can be returned and also to the type of offence for which an inmate is eligible for repatriation.
Transfers will be subject to the availability of prison places in Jamaica.
Gilbert Scott, Permanent Secretary in Jamaica’s Ministry of National Security, said: “The conditions are fairly limiting. We entered into the agreement for compassionate and family reasons. We recognise that there are a number of women whom we consider to have been victims of the organised drug trade.”
Mr Brown told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions last week that the Government intended to deport 4,000 foreign national prisoners this year. The Government would sign deals with Nigeria, which has 1,061 people in jails in England and Wales, Vietnam (406) and China (374).
October 29, 2007
Only 1 per cent of Jamaican prisoners will be sent home
Richard Ford, Home Correspondent
Fewer than 1 per cent of the 1,400 Jamaicans in jail in England and Wales will return home to serve their sentences under a deal agreed between the British and Jamaican Governments.
The prison transfer agreement also bars the repatriation of dangerous criminals, including Jamaican yardies, to serve their sentences.
Only 40 Jamaican offenders will leave jails in England and Wales to return home to serve their sentences and many of these are expected to be women.
There are currently 97 Jamaican women in jails in England and Wales and priority for repatriation will be those with children back home.
Gordon Brown told MPs last week that an agreement with Jamaica and potential deals with other countries with large numbers of nationals in jails would lead to prisoners being returned as “expeditiously as possible”.
The deal with Jamaica, which has yet to be ratified by Parliaments in London and Kingston, is limited in both the numbers who can be returned and also to the type of offence for which an inmate is eligible for repatriation.
Transfers will be subject to the availability of prison places in Jamaica.
Gilbert Scott, Permanent Secretary in Jamaica’s Ministry of National Security, said: “The conditions are fairly limiting. We entered into the agreement for compassionate and family reasons. We recognise that there are a number of women whom we consider to have been victims of the organised drug trade.”
Mr Brown told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions last week that the Government intended to deport 4,000 foreign national prisoners this year. The Government would sign deals with Nigeria, which has 1,061 people in jails in England and Wales, Vietnam (406) and China (374).