WILLEMSTAD -- Minister David Dick (Justice, PAR) is convinced that earlier plans for the construction of prison cells in Curaçao went off course purely on destruction of capital - because the construction was not based on a thorough research and was drawn up in an illogical and short-sighted manner.
"Twelve million guilders were reserved for the construction of 120 cells. But those were police-cells. If I have a shortage of cells in the house of detention or in the penitentiary and you build more police cells, where must the suspects be transferred to when the maximum time in the police-cells is up? Building more police-cells without taking care of the cell shortage in Bon Futuro first, creates a gigantic bottle neck."
Bon Futuro with her 450 fully occupied cells is badly in need of an expansion. Simply using the 12 million guilders for the increase of capacity in Bon Futuro would result in an unfinished building according to the Justice-minister. Especially since the Netherlands suddenly wanted 240 cells instead of 120 or 120 cells with two beds.
"Of course you shouldn't lose track the logistics", sighs the minister. "Expanding the capacity of Bon Futuro by 120 or 240 cells, also requires the construction of an extra long and tall wall for a good enclosure. The kitchen would no longer meet the requirements and will have to be enlarged and improved. The issue of personnel will also be a consequence of such an expansion. It's not a matter of simply building a few cells and that's it."
Ballast Nedam
Usona had at that time recommended contractor Ballast Nedam to take care of the expansion of Bon Futuro for 30 million guilders. "The drawings for this expansion, which cost one million guilders, were promptly done. It's a nice design, based on the so-called cross-model. According to the design, 44 detainees per segment can be held split up in four segments. Supervision from the center of that cross-structure is done through cameras. There are no blind spots. There are also enough entrances, kitchen, medical center, and security. But since money was never made available for this, the entire cell-expansion project was stopped", says Dick.
We still managed to create more prison space, by working creatively and pragmatically: "We had the prisoners themselves restore a number of unused cells and destroyed toilets and such in the convict prison on Curaçao and in Bonaire. Also the introduction of electronic supervision created room. Part of the women's section was furthermore rebuilt and converted into cells for long term convicts. What also helped was that we could rebuild part of drug habilitation center Brasami into a ‘half open institution' for addicted prisoners. These interventions have all and all produced more than 200 cells.
Ballast Nedam choice Usona
Ballast-Nedam's design for the expansion of Bon Futuro was not put to public tender. Usona had selected Ballast-Nedam directly, ‘because they are already active in the Antilles, have experience with the constructions of prisons in the Netherlands, and are financially strong'.
This means in fact that there are ultimately two architectural designs for the expansion of the Bon Futuro prison in Koraal Specht.
Because the financing for it was never assigned, none of the designs have been carried out.
Amigoe.com
