PHILIPSBURG: --- The understaffing of the Pointe Blanche Prison continues to affect the safety and security of the prison on St. Maarten.
The News has been informed that even though prisoners were locked in their cells on Saturday morning and not fed until midday, the institution is unable to get its guards back to work because many of them have taken sick leave to avoid the abuse and working in deplorable conditions.
Due to the short staffing, the prisoners are severely affected.
Relatives of the inmates said that many prisoners are ill at the prison, and they are unable to see the nurse because most days, the nurse does not report to work. Besides not being fed on Saturday or locked in their cells, it’s a daily struggle for the prisoners at the Pointe Blanche Prison.
SMN News understands that the ministry obtained evidence of the so-called sick guards moving around on the island and those who attended the Heineken Regatta while on sick leave (A/O).
According to information provided to SMN News, the guards have been working 12-hour shifts and are not adequately compensated. It is understood that some guards have been working at the Pointe Blanche Prison for over 20 years and have been waiting over 15 years for their scaling and proper salary. None of the guards at Pointe Blanche Prison received their Landsbesluit (LB). Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling said these guards received their placement letters, but no payments have been arranged yet. The Minister said the LBs are being revised since many have made mistakes.
While the guards at Pointe Blanche Prison opted to take action, the workers of the entire Justice Ministry are in the same situation, continuing to await their LBs and payments.
While in office, Former Minister of Justice Anna Richardson managed to complete the Function Book and several batches of the LBs; former Minister of Justice Lyndon Lewis continued the process.
However, the current Minister of Justice, Nathalie Tackling, said that the LBs are being done on an individual basis.