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UK and Jamaican officials discuss construction of ‘deportee prison’
The British Home Office has admitted that discussions on a prisoner transfer agreement are underway between Jamaica and the United Kingdom.
Under the proposed agreement, Jamaicans convicted of crimes committed in the United Kingdom will serve their sentences in a facility slated to be constructed in Jamaica.
Speculation about the agreement had been rife for years, but a spokeswoman at the British Home Office told RJR News on Thursday that the discussions for the transfer agreement are now underway.
She said Jamaica is one of 97 countries being courted to accept the proposal.
The Home Office representative was not prepared to disclose at what stage of the agreement the parties had arrived.
Britain approached Jamaica after a report revealed that UK prisons were overcrowded with foreign nationals, with the largest contingent being Jamaicans.
Statistics made public on Wednesday showed that Jamaicans make up one-eighth of the 12,122 foreigners in UK jails.
A few Caribbean countries, such as Barbados and Antigua, are already signatories to one type of prison transfer agreement with Britain.
Under their arrangement, Britons serving time in those Caribbean states can apply to serve the remainder of their sentence in the UK.
However, under the proposed UK-Jamaica agreement it will be the reverse, with Jamaican offenders being deported to serve time in Jamaica.
It is speculated that Britain will fund the construction of a so-called deportee prison.
Early indications are that the Jamaicans would not spend any period of their sentence in the UK, but would be immediately deported upon sentencing, in a bid to ease overcrowding.
Last year, as part of its zero tolerance policy, the Home Office announced that foreign offenders would be immediately deported, regardless of their offence.
The announcement followed a security blunder which saw the release of some 1,000 foreign criminals who should have been deported.
The British Home Office has admitted that discussions on a prisoner transfer agreement are underway between Jamaica and the United Kingdom.
Under the proposed agreement, Jamaicans convicted of crimes committed in the United Kingdom will serve their sentences in a facility slated to be constructed in Jamaica.
Speculation about the agreement had been rife for years, but a spokeswoman at the British Home Office told RJR News on Thursday that the discussions for the transfer agreement are now underway.
She said Jamaica is one of 97 countries being courted to accept the proposal.
The Home Office representative was not prepared to disclose at what stage of the agreement the parties had arrived.
Britain approached Jamaica after a report revealed that UK prisons were overcrowded with foreign nationals, with the largest contingent being Jamaicans.
Statistics made public on Wednesday showed that Jamaicans make up one-eighth of the 12,122 foreigners in UK jails.
A few Caribbean countries, such as Barbados and Antigua, are already signatories to one type of prison transfer agreement with Britain.
Under their arrangement, Britons serving time in those Caribbean states can apply to serve the remainder of their sentence in the UK.
However, under the proposed UK-Jamaica agreement it will be the reverse, with Jamaican offenders being deported to serve time in Jamaica.
It is speculated that Britain will fund the construction of a so-called deportee prison.
Early indications are that the Jamaicans would not spend any period of their sentence in the UK, but would be immediately deported upon sentencing, in a bid to ease overcrowding.
Last year, as part of its zero tolerance policy, the Home Office announced that foreign offenders would be immediately deported, regardless of their offence.
The announcement followed a security blunder which saw the release of some 1,000 foreign criminals who should have been deported.