Topic: Northward Prison
Opinion: Crime and punishment
If a convicted offender is released after their prison term, and reoffends, was the punishment effective?
Drug abuse on the increase, veteran psychiatrist warns
Increased drug abuse in Cayman is helping to fuel a crisis in the prison system, the island's senior psychiatrist has warned.
Psychiatrist backs claims of mental health ‘crisis’ at Northward prison
A top psychiatrist has backed claims of a mental health crisis in prisons as almost a third of male inmates receive psychiatric treatment.
Prison officer cleared of drugs misconduct charge
A prison officer cleared of misconduct in public office after he was caught smuggling ganja into Northward prison said on Thursday he wanted to return to his job.
Prison officer arrested for smuggling ganja into jail
Senior prison officer Derron Watson was arrested on 28 Feb. for allegedly smuggling drugs into Northward Prison.
Prison fire started on mattress in inmate’s cell
The fire at Northward Prison on Tuesday was started on a mattress in a prisoner's cell in the jail's High Risk Unit, authorities have said.
Prison officer to be sentenced for smuggling ganja into jail
Prison officer Rudolph Rambaran will have to wait until 7 March to learn his fate, after pleading guilty to smuggling packages of ganja into Northward Prison.
Prison officer arrested with ganja at Northward
A prison officer was arrested at Northward Prison Wednesday morning after attempting to "introduce the drugs into the prison", a police statement said.
Cayman agrees to take two Turks and Caicos prisoners
Government has agreed to the temporary transfer of two convicted male prisoners from the Turks and Caicos Islands to Cayman, after parts of the prison in Grand Turk were damaged and crime rates in the islands increased significantly in recent years.
Inmates design new trash bins
Inmates at Northward Prison, and the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce have come up with a creative way to keep trash in bins.
Inmates get career advice
Members of government agencies and local businesses went to prison last week, not for any infractions, but to talk to inmates at Northward about re-entering the workforce.
Defendant Matthew Anthony Whittaker acquitted in Northward firearm case
A Grand Court jury found Matthew Anthony Whittaker not guilty Tuesday of possessing an unlicensed firearm and ammunition outside Northward Prison in May of 2017.
Prison officer charged with assault, threatening to kill still on duty
A prison officer who was charged in connection to an alleged rape is still on active duty, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said on Friday in the Legislative Assembly.
Prisoners help Public Works to build new West Bay playgrounds
Prisoners are helping to create a new children’s playground in West Bay.
Prisoners to help collect garbage
Serving prisoners will be used as temporary garbage collectors in a new scheme to deal with continued delays in roadside trash collections.
‘Fresh Start’ brings hope of rehabilitation
Chris Myles conducts his work day just like everyone else.
Inmates clean up roadsides through NRA program
For the inmates of Northward Prison, picking up trash to make Cayman communities more beautiful is a way to give back and grow.
No vacancy
Today's editorial cartoon
Prisons seeking extra space to house inmates
Cayman Islands public prisons facilities will need more available space, both immediately and in the longer term to keep up with current and future demands, local law enforcement officials acknowledged this week.
Gang killers may have to take legal battle to UK
Two convicted gang killers, transferred out of Cayman’s Northward Prison and sent to a U.K. jail amid alleged “national security” concerns, may have to challenge that decision in London.
Charge brought too late over ganja in prison
A young man who pleaded not guilty to carrying contraband into Northward Prison had the charge against him dismissed on Monday.
Prisons director to review release scheme
Interim Prisons Director Steven Barrett said he will review Cayman’s temporary release program for lower-risk inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison, Northward, but that he was “not aware of any significant failure” in that system since his arrival in February.
Northward Prison filled to capacity
Northward Prison is filled to capacity, with 213 prisoners being housed at the men’s prison and at least one individual detained in a Royal Cayman Islands Police Service holding cell in George Town.
Man abused partner via texts from prison
A prison inmate who admitted abusing his partner via text messages for months was sentenced on Tuesday in a way meant to stop further offending and protect his victim in the future.
Prisoners’ handmade leather goods go on sale
Leather goods made by inmates at Northward Prison and other local handmade products are going on sale at a new George Town store.
George Town man charged with rape
A George Town resident was charged with rape on Friday following an incident around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday where police found the suspect and a woman in distress at a George Town home.
A day of literacy at Northward Prison
A band churned out a bass-heavy reggae-tinged song, with two male and two female singers harmonizing on the refrain: “Illiteracy/Breaking the chains of illiteracy.”
Prison building ‘beyond repair’ after lightning strike
A Sept. 27 lightning strike at Northward Prison has left the facility’s main supply storage building “beyond repair,” officials confirmed Tuesday.
Trio of ganja suspects make second appearance in court
Three Jamaican nationals charged with importing more than 400 pounds of ganja into the Cayman Islands made their second court appearance Monday via videolink from Northward Prison.
Young inmates building their own basketball court in prison
Juvenile offenders will be making appearances soon in a court of a different kind once they and prison service officers finish building a basketball court in the prison grounds.
Second murderer challenges removal to UK
Justin D’Angelo Ramoon, 26, is the second former Northward Prison inmate to challenge his removal from the Cayman prison earlier this year to the United Kingdom, alleging that the action taken by the Cayman Islands government was unlawful.
Woman carried two bottles of rum to prison inmate
A woman who smuggled two small bottles of rum and a phone charger into Northward Prison was sentenced on Monday after Magistrate Valdis Foldats questioned “why on Earth” she would become involved with a man serving a lengthy sentence and then be willing to carry contraband to him in her bra.
Prison needs new telecom system after lightning strike
Damage to the telephone and internet lines from a lightning strike at Her Majesty’s Prison Northward early Wednesday is worse than officials first thought.
Lightning strikes prison storage building
Supplies were destroyed and computer and telephone services were knocked out to Northward Prison early Wednesday after a lightning strike that sparked a fire. No one was hurt in the blaze.
Sixteen months for ganja in child’s diaper
A woman who admitted carrying ganja to Northward Prison in her child’s diaper was sentenced on Monday to 16 months’ imprisonment. With half-credit for time on curfew and electronic monitor, defendant Daniella Tibbetts is to serve 13 and a half months, Magistrate Valdis Foldats told her.
Man admits carrying ganja to prison
Sean Luke Dunbar, 23, was remanded in custody on Tuesday after pleading guilty to possession of 3.9 pounds of ganja at Northward prison on Feb. 16.
Mentally ill man kept at Northward Prison
A man who has been in and out of Cayman’s courts for more than a quarter-century probably will not be back in court anytime soon. Now in his 50s, he is in Northward Prison because he is of unsound mind.
New mental health facility to be based on model farm in US
When health officials signed a nearly $900,000 contract 10 days ago to design a long-term home for the mentally ill, Cayman offered hope to dozens of people and their families.
Contract signed for mental health facility
A Toronto-based firm has signed a contract to design and build a long-term residential mental health facility in Cayman. Currently, the only health facility at which people with mental health issues can be treated in-house is an eight-bed unit at Cayman Islands Hospital.
Northward prisoners turn their hands to leather working
Iguana wallets and handbags may soon be coming to a store near you, handmade by prisoners in Cayman. Northward prison has enlisted the talent of a craftsman from Guyana to teach inmates the finer points of tanning and leather working.
Inmates turn to construction trade for ‘Fresh Start’
A group of inmates at Northward Prison have completed a pilot vocational training program in which they undertook training in the construction trade.
Lack of mental health reports delays court
Jerome Cunningham’s attorney has been waiting three months for a psychiatric report to determine whether his client is fit to plead to charges that include attempted murder and attempted robbery.
CIFA training offers opportunity for Northward inmates
Inmates at Cayman Islands men’s prison Northward will soon have access to a new sports rehabilitation program aimed at training participants in football refereeing and coaching.
Discarded gun recovered outside Northward Prison
Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officers spent several hours Saturday and Sunday searching the Northward Prison grounds for a handgun that was brought into a prison checkpoint sometime during the day Saturday.
Northward gives inmates Fresh Start
Northward prison has created an avenue to give inmates a better chance at a new life. The facility announced its Fresh Start pilot program, an eight-week initiative crafted in conjunction with private business designed to give inmates a background in construction.
NEW: Police search for weapon outside prison
Police responded to Northward Prison after it was reported that a visitor brought a gun into a prison checkpoint area.
Two admit carrying ganja to prison
Two people pleaded guilty on Tuesday to separate, unrelated cases involving ganja with intent to supply at Northward Prison.
Drugs, phone seized at Northward Prison
A woman was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle a pound of ganja into Northward Prison on Sunday, according to the Prison Service.On the same day, a prison officer also confiscated a cellphone from an inmate following a search.
Mental health facility details unveiled
Cayman’s first residential mental health facility will comprise nine cottages with six beds each and an administrative building on the former Northward prison farm site on 15 acres in East End, officials revealed Friday, adding that construction on the first seven cottages could start as early as the end of the year.
Extradition trial set for Turkish terror suspect
A two-day trial has been set for Celal Kildag, the cruse ship passenger who arrived in Cayman on Dec. 8 and found a request waiting to extradite him to Turkey. Kildag, 58, has been accused by Turkish authorities of terrorist acts in 1988.
Prisons deputy back to work after ‘hidden camera’ investigation
After a nearly two-year process during which she was suspended, fired, reinstated, then suspended again, Cayman Islands Deputy Prisons Director Aduke Joseph-Caesar is going back to work.
Hit-and-run victim’s family offers forgiveness
The family of hit-and-run victim Donnie Ray Connor say they did not want to see the man responsible for his death go to jail.
Man arrested for teen rape
Police arrested a 32-year-old man accused of raping and indecently assaulting a teenage girl last week.
Inmates’ project wins Pirates Week float prize
One of the winning floats at Saturday’s Pirates Week parade was built by inmates of Northward Prison who put their carpentry skills to work by building a prize-winning wagon. Members of the prison workshop built the wagon around the Pirates Week theme of “Age of Romance.”
Romanian fugitive deported from Cayman Islands
The founder of Romania’s secret police service has been deported from the Cayman Islands after exhausting attempts to fight extradition to his homeland where he faces jail time for corruption. Mihai Tanjala even resorted to a hunger strike while detained at Northward Prison, vowing, “I refuse to go back to Romania alive.”
‘It’s a partnership with the community’: Prisoners work for a good cause
A group of Northward Prison inmates were in Bodden Town recently, helping to spruce up some outdoor areas. The prisoners carried out cleanup work at the Harry McCoy Sr. Park, Nurse Josie’s Senior Centre and Heritage House. As well as tidying up certain areas, the inmates also removed old and rotted thatch from cabana roofs in the park.
Inmates help GT Primary
Nine Northward Prison inmates helped unload and sort through a 40-foot container of supplies for George Town Primary School on Aug. 20.
Crown: Aspinall sentence ‘lenient’
Cayman Islands prosecutors will appeal a 3.5 year prison sentence given earlier this month to a local accountant who admitted to stealing nearly US$500,000 from two investment funds he managed during a liquidation process.
Drug dispute led to prison assault
An apparent dispute over drugs at Northward Prison led to an assault that resulted in six more months of custody for inmate Ryan Alijah Ebanks.
Guilty plea in 2012 burglary
A man serving prison time on an unrelated firearms charge and an escape attempt from Northward Prison pleaded guilty Wednesday to a burglary charge.
Accountant enters jail ‘early’
Although he has not formally pleaded guilty, Cayman Islands accountant Rob Aspinall agreed to be remanded to Northward Prison on Friday to begin serving time on theft and fraud-related charges.
A day in the life of Summary Court
Tuesday, July 12 – It has already been a long day in Summary Court by the time Kurtney Johnson, an incorrigible drug addict who has just been sentenced to two years in prison for a spree of cocaine-fueled burglaries, rises to give a brief heartfelt speech of thanks.
Caymanians and crime
The Cayman Islands' crime problem is not a Jamaican problem but one fully Caymanian.
Unlocking life at Northward Prison
A small group of inmates, ranging in age from 22 to 59 and from all walks of life, gathered in the chapel at Northward Prison on a quiet Tuesday afternoon. There was no religious service scheduled. Instead they were there to describe what life is like inside the prison walls and how they think crime can be reduced in the Cayman Islands.
EDITORIAL – Crowd control: Congestion in our courts, prison
If there are two problems for which Royal Cayman Islands Police Commissioner David Baines could be held responsible — it’s clogging up our country’s courtrooms and Her Majesty’s Prison at Northward.
Prisoners pitch in with coastal clean up
Prisoners are helping clean up beaches in North Side as part of their rehabilitation process.
No prison cells left at Northward
A “steady rise” in Cayman’s adult male prison population has led to an overcrowding situation at Northward Prison in Bodden Town, according to prison officials.
Prisoners face victims of their crimes in forgiveness project
A group of Northward Prison inmates have come face to face with the victims of their crimes in a project that aims to make prisoners more aware of the impact of their criminal actions.
Prison visitors arrested for smuggling contraband
Two people visiting inmates at Northward prison over the weekend were arrested on suspicion of smuggling contraband.
Convicted killers to get new hearings
All 15 murderers currently serving life without parole at Grand Cayman’s Northward Prison will find out within the next two years when they can be considered for release.
