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Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - The Governments of Saint Lucia and UK Governments
have concluded arrangements to introduce a bilateral Prisoner Transfer Agreement
to allow nationals of each country convicted in the other to serve their
sentences in their home state.
The agreement will allow British nationals serving a prison sentence in Saint
Lucia and Saint Lucian nationals serving prison sentences in the UK to serve out
their sentences in their home country – once all parties agree to the transfer.
The agreement encourages social rehabilitation of prisoners by giving them the
opportunity to complete their sentences in their own countries.
For example, it will allow British nationals serving sentences at the Bordelais
Correctional Facility in Saint Lucia to complete their prison terms in the UK.
Vice versa, it will also allow for Saint Lucians serving sentences in the UK to
complete their terms in their home country.
However, it also contains safeguards to prevent the transfer of prisoners, if
doing so would impact on national security, which is an important point for the
Saint Lucian Government.
But one of its stronger points is that the agreement also promotes the
rehabilitation of prisoners by allowing them to serve their sentence in a more
familiar environment, where they can have better access to visits by family and
friends.
Minister of External Affairs Senator Petrus Compton and UK Foreign Office
Minister Lord Triesman signed the agreement on April 27 in Barbados and it will
come into effect as soon as both countries complete the legal and constitutional
processes needed to bring it into law.
Resident British High Commissioner in Saint Lucia Kelvin Green said after it was
announced that he was “pleased that the agreement is being put into place.”
“It is also a step forward in the humane treatment of offenders by allowing them
to serve their sentences in their home country,” said Mr Green.
The agreement was announced one day after Prime Minister Dr Kenny D. Anthony met
Baroness Patricia Scotland, Minister of State for Criminal Justice at the
British Home Office, last Tuesday (May 2).
The Baroness called on Dr Anthony at the Office of the Prime Minister for
discussions on issues of mutual security interests to Saint Lucia and the United
Kingdom.
She discussed with the Prime Minister, among other things, a range of issues
related to matters of Security, Justice, Law and Order, where the UK and Saint
Lucia share a number of common problems and concerns.
While here, the Baroness also called on Attorney General Philip La Corbiniere.
