Minister for Health and Social Development, Hon Vincent O. Wheatley has voiced his support for rehabilitation initiatives at His Majesty’s Prison following a visit to to the prison on February 1, 2024. VINO/File

The Minister was accompanied by Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly and Territorial-at-Large Representative Honorable Stacey Mather where he emphasized the role of rehabilitation and successful reintegration of prisoners into the local community. Photo: GIS/File

The Minister was accompanied by Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly and Territorial-at-Large Representative Honorable Stacey Mather where he emphasized the role of rehabilitation and successful reintegration of prisoners into the local community.

"Embracing rehabilitation for prisoners is not merely an investment in their individual redemption; it is a commitment to rebuilding the foundations of our society, one restored life at a time. Therefore, I am happy to see the efforts Mr. Kendall and his team her at His Majesty’s Prison are putting in to facilitate the rehabilitation of our prisoners," Hon Wheatley said.

The visit included the official handover of a brand-new laptop computer to inmate Phillip Powell. Mr. Powell has exhibited a keen interest in architecture and technical drawings and applied through the Superintendent’s Office to the minister for assistance to enhance his skills in the areas. This initiative aligns with the prison's focus on providing educational and skill development opportunities to support successful reintegration into society.

Several programmes @ Prison

Hons Wheatley and Mather also took the opportunity to inspect the recently expanded wood-workshop, a key component of the prison's efforts to offer diverse resettlement activities. They visited the female wing, where meetings were held with both prisoners and staff and also witnessed the positive outcomes of the ongoing cleaning and repainting program.

Hon Mather expressed his eagerness to further support prison initiatives including supplying additional materials for the woodwork project and facilitating the rollout of a chess activity, a programme designed to teach logic and related social skills to prisoners through community organisations such as Unite BVI.

Superintendent Jay Kendall expressed his satisfaction with the progress made in prisoner resettlement activities in the last two months, stating and thanked the minister and Honourable Mather for their support of the Prison Service and the ongoing efforts towards prisoner rehabilitation.

He added that the visit underscored the collaborative commitment to building a safer, more rehabilitative environment for all.