ABSTRACT
The colonial archetypes of Caribbean prisons have contended with additional demands consistent with a contemporary environment. The goals of security and the reformation of convicts are not being achieved and the incarceration rates are amongst the highest in the world, despite economic prosperity and significant financial injections. These challenges are not unique to the Caribbean region. In response, more prisons have been constructed, Task Forces established, and a restorative justice framework introduced. Concomitant with these ventures are calls to improve officers’ terms and conditions, an increased prison population, severe prison overcrowding, access to cellular phones, internal gangsterism, prison disruptions, and many illicit activities. These enigmas have spawned the ineffectiveness seen today but recent developments have led to heightened interest in prison affairs, through short-term and quick-fix measures. Long-term meaningful solutions are now critical for national development. Discussions with prison officials and ex-prisoners speak to the diverse challenges the region faces. This qualitative study explicates the structure and conditions of prisons in the Caribbean in addressing their effectiveness. Primary data gathered from unstructured interviews with prison officials and secondary data based on past studies are utilized to address the issue. Some recommendations for policy formulation and revision are provided.
