Yahneake Sterling, Staff Reporter
Reese
Illegal aliens who enter the country and are remanded by the authorities will soon be housed in better conditions as there are plans for the establishment of a hostel in the downtown Kingston area.
According to Major Richard Reece, the Commissioner of Corrections, Falcon Crest, a former quarters for police officers on Tower Street, is scheduled to be renovated at a cost of $2 million. The building is currently in a state of disrepair.
The cost for the refurbishing exercise will be taken from the Department of Correctional Services budget and labour will be provided by inmates from the Tower Street and Tamarind Farm Adult Correctional centres.
"The repairs should be completed within three months after commencement, and on completion the hostel should be able to house approximately 50 aliens," June Spence-Jarrett, Deputy Commissioner, Custodial Services, told The Gleaner.
Major Reece said the refurbishing exercise should begin late August or early September.
He noted that the current visiting privileges will still apply to the aliens. The Correctional Services boss said visits will be restricted to three family members, with special allowances made for human rights groups, representatives from the alien's country and the Red Cross.
When asked about the level of security, he said: "They will be supervised by security personnel from the Department of Correctional Services, relative to their gender, and will not be permitted to leave the facility without an escort."
The hostel will include facilities such as a common room, a kitchen, dining areas as well as other necessary amenities.
Dr. Carolyn Gomes, executive director for human rights lobby group Jamaicans for Justice, said of the hostel: "I think it is better to get them out of the remand centre. They are not criminals."
I think it is better to get them out of the remand centre. They are not criminals. - Gomes
