Prison restarts visits as part of stage two
PRISON inmates were able to receive visits from loved ones on Monday for the first time in over a month.
No Covid-19 cases have been detected among the inmates.
Last Monday saw the island enter stage two of its exit from lockdown and with it an easing of restrictions for prisoners at Les Nicolles.
While islanders were able to meet up for a socially distanced walk or a wave through a window during lockdown, prisoners were unable to do so either with their families or friends on the outside.
Prison governor John De Carteret said it had been tough for both the staff and inmates but everyone had remained upbeat.
‘The response from prisoners and staff has been fantastic,’ he said.
‘Prisoners haven’t been able see family.
'Regardless of phones and so on, it’s not the same as having that interpersonal contact.
‘So having visits restart, albeit with a smaller number of tables than usual in the visiting room, social distancing, mask wearing and no physical contact, is a welcome improvement.’
The prison developed a matrix in line with the phased changes of the island to communicate what changes would be possible and when.
During lockdown, the prison staff followed the rules of two-metre social distancing where possible, mandatory face masks and no face-to-face meetings.
Staff meetings were scaled back and rosters managed to ensure minimum contact between people.
For prisoners, visits and education was suspended and lock-up time was two hours earlier. There was also limited work available. Professional support was on a risk assessment basis, however, there was no impact on health care provisions.
As stage one approached changes included to staff rosters, an increase in professional support and work available to prisoners.
Now in stage two, things are starting look more ‘normal’, with lock-up times and work available returning to normal, as well as visits starting again.
Prisoner education will see a phased return over the next few weeks.
Staff continue to wear masks and are tested once a week, whereas inmates are able to not wear them, with the idea being it was the staff who presented the most risk.
New inmates go through a quarantine period and testing before entering the entire prison environment.
Mr De Carteret confirmed there had been no Covid cases detected among the prisoners. He added that they were ‘treading very carefully’ and easing prison restrictions in line with the exit from lockdown.
‘We’ll see in the next couple of weeks a slow return back to where we were before lockdown,’ he said.
‘Prisoners themselves understand that people in the community are under restrictions and know if they were out there it would be just the same.
'They also don’t want to be in an environment where there could be the potential of an infectious outbreak of an infection in the prison – just as the community sees the sense of restrictions, so do the prisoners.’
