Director of Prisons Steve Barrett will be leaving his post this December, the Home Affairs Ministry has announced.
In the ministry statement issued Friday afternoon, Barrett said the circumstances he was leaving under were personal in nature and “require that I return to Scotland at this time”.
“An announcement about prison management arrangements will be made in due course,” Acting Home Affairs Chief Officer Michael Ebanks said in the statement.
Barrett has been at the helm of Her Majesty’s Cayman Islands Prison Service since 2018, following the departure of then Director Neil Lavis.
Prior to coming to Cayman, Barrett served as the head of the Turks and Caicos Islands prison.
He has been managing the impact of COVID within the prison walls along with efforts to vaccinate prisoners and staff.
“At this time, the focus of the Prison Service remains fixed on managing our way through the challenges presented by the current community to prison COVID infections while effectively delivering a critical public service,” Barrett said.
Home Affairs Minister Bernie Bush, in the statement, described Barrett as a valued leader in that ministry’s team.
“While we are sorry to see him leave, we support Director Barrett’s decision and would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his tremendous contribution to HMCIPS. He has been integral to improving and developing the prison estate, strengthening relations between the prison service and the community, and has played a key role in ensuring that the prison system is prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bush said.
Ebanks shared the minister’s sentiments.
“It has been a privilege to work with Director Barrett. We fully respect and support the personal decision that he has made and ask that the media and members of the public respect his privacy at this time,” he said.
Ebanks said the ministry has already begun implementing its business continuity procedures to ensure a smooth and successful transition.
For his part, Barrett thanked the ministry as well as his “incredible colleagues at HMCIPS, the partner agencies, and the community, who have continued to show support over the years”.
Under his tenure, Barrett partnered with local agencies and educational institutions to help improve and upskill inmates to prepare them for reintegration into the community.
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