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Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. announced today the successful transfer of sixty-six Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility inmates to prisons on the U.S. mainland. The prisoners were airlifted in an operation that began around 4:00 AM Friday morning; the plane was airborne just after 9:00 AM.
The transfer is intended to improve security at Golden Grove by reducing the prison’s population, part of an ongoing effort to address a recent rash of violence at the institution. Friday’s transfer was planned months before the federal government indicated its intention to take over the prison, the governor said.
“By moving some of our prisoners to off-island institutions, we can continue to improve conditions at Golden Grove. At the same time, we must be mindful that those inmates sent to prisons on the U.S. mainland are Virgin Islanders, and deserve humane treatment, including access to rehabilitation programs and all the rights they are legally entitled to,” the governor also stated.
The relocated inmates will be placed in penitentiary facilities in Virginia and Florida. The sixty-six men were selected by Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections officials who conducted a rigorous screening process and analyzed several factors that affect overall security at the institution.
The transfer allows for the consolidation of Golden Grove’s inmate population, and transforms the prison into a facility designed to reduce conflict among its inmates.
The transferred prisoners will still have access to educational, vocational and recreational programs, as well as medical and psychological care, religious services, individual counseling, work release and jail work programs.
The Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections will provide opportunities for inmates sent out of the Territory to talk with their families by video-conferencing. Family members of transferred inmates will be notified in the next few days and will be provided with contact information for their loved ones.
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