Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre

Last updated
Fort Augusta Prison
Jamaica location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre
Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre
Location Portmore, St Catherine, Jamaica
Coordinates 17°58′00″N76°50′53″W / 17.96662°N 76.84795°W / 17.96662; -76.84795
StatusOperational
Security classMaximum security
Capacity250
PopulationUp to 280
Managed byOperated by the Department of Correctional Services for the Ministry of National Security

Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre, formerly Fort Augusta Prison, is Jamaica's only prison for women. [1] It was built to accommodate 250 female inmates [2] but has held over 280 on occasions. [2] [3] It has been known to run short of food. [4] It is operated by the Department of Correctional Services for the Ministry of National Security.

Contents

Some years ago, the DCS sold the land on which Fort Augusta sits to the Port Authority of Jamaica. [5] At the time, the DCS had plans to build a 5000 inmate prison that would accommodate both males and females and relieve the overcrowding faced by most prisons in Jamaica. [5] [6] However, while the new facility is long in coming a move is still anticipated so no one is willing to do any renovations to Fort Augusta. [5]

On March 2, 2017 Fort Augusta inmates were relocated to the south camp rehabilitation center.

In April 2020 it was announced that the Jamaican government intends to use Fort Augusta as a half way house and counselling center for returning deportees. [7]

The old fort: Fort Augusta was originally a fortress built by the English in the 1740s to provide the main defence for Kingston Harbour’s west side. [5] It was completed in the 1750s and named Fort Augusta in honour of the mother of King George III. [1] In 1763 lightning struck the fort and its three thousand barrels of gunpowder causing an explosion that broke windows 17 miles away and killed three hundred people. [1] [5] The shocks created a crater which had to be filled before reconstruction could begin. [1] During the American Revolution the fort was occupied by the Duke of Cumberland's Regiment. The remains of the fortress now consists of massive crumbling walls of brick that have been fortified with other materials (including barbed wire). [5] The fort was located on the north side of the harbor mouth near the main channel. Built near a mangrove swamp, the garrison had a high death rate from tropical diseases. Some time around 1850 the garrison was moved to the isolated Newcastle, Jamaica, 12 miles northeast and 3500 feet higher. [8] On the south side of the harbor mouth on the Port Royal sand spit was Fort Charles (Jamaica) built soon after the English conquest in 1655.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Town</span> Town in Middlesex, Jamaica

Spanish Town is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. The town is home to numerous memorials, the national archives, and one of the oldest Anglican churches outside England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Leavenworth</span> United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas

Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest permanent settlement in Kansas. Fort Leavenworth has been historically known as the "Intellectual Center of the Army."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica</span> Parish of Jamaica

Saint Mary is a parish located in the northeast section of Jamaica. With a population of 114,227 it is one of Jamaica's smallest parishes, located in the county of Middlesex. Its chief town and capital is Port Maria, located on the coast. It is also the birthplace of established dancehall reggae artists, such as Capleton, Lady Saw, Ninjaman, Ini Kamoze, Sizzla, and Tanya Stephens. Other notable residents of St. Mary parish include bestselling author Colin Simpson, who is the great-great grandson of noted slavery abolitionist James Phillippo, famed Jamaican writer and community activist Erna Brodber, and acclaimed music producer Chris Blackwell who is credited with "discovering" Bob Marley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prison officer</span> Law enforcement official

A prison officer (PO) or corrections officer (CO), also known as a Correctional Law Enforcement Officer or less formally as a prison guard, is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to imprisonment. They are also responsible for the security of the facility and its property as well as other law enforcement functions. Most prison officers or corrections officers are employed by the government of the jurisdiction in which they operate, although some are employed by private companies that provide prison services to the government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reis Magos</span> Village in Goa, India

Reis Magos is a village located on the northern bank of the Mandovi River in Bardez, Goa, opposite to the capital city of Panjim. The village is famous for two of Goa’s famous structures; the Reis Magos Fort, and the Reis Magos Church – the first church in Bardez. "Reis Magos" is the Portuguese name for the Three Wise Men from the Bible.

The Broward Correctional Institution (BCI) was a correctional facility located in the former Country Estates CDP and in Southwest Ranches, Florida, operated by the Florida Department of Corrections. The Region IV Correctional Facility Office is located on the grounds of Broward Correctional Institution in the former Country Estates CDP. The prison was in proximity to Pembroke Pines. It was located along Sheridan Street, near U.S. Route 27.

Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre is a prison in Jamaica. It was formerly the General Penitentiary, and was built to accommodate 650 male inmates but has held over 1700 on occasions. Construction of the current building began in 1845, shortly after the end of slavery. Previously, the Kingston House of Correction stood on the same site. The new penitentiary was designed according to the 'separate system' in which prisoners are held in isolation, although in practice sharing of the small cells has been common.

St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre, Jamaica, formerly Saint Catherine District Prison and sometimes called Spanish Town Prison, was built to accommodate 850 male inmates but has held over 1300 on occasions. It contains the only death-row on the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Camp Adult Correctional Centre</span>

South Camp Prison, also known as the Gun Court prison, opened in 1974 as a combined court and prison to combat the increase in violent crimes involving firearms. A single resident magistrate can issue prison sentences to those convicted of illegal possession of firearms or ammunition. It has accommodated over 330 inmates on occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamarind Farm Correctional Centre</span> Prison in Jamaica

Tamarind Farm Correctional Centre has accommodated over 275 male inmates on occasions.

New Broughton Sunset Correctional Centre, also known as the Old Man's Prison, was built in 1916 and rebuilt in 2005 following severe damage by Hurricane Ivan the previous year. It houses up to 80 low risk and ageing male inmates in open dormitories with little or no fencing and 30 warders.

Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre was built to accommodate 120 male inmates.

Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre was built to accommodate 40 girls. It is operated by the Department of Correctional Services for the Ministry of National Security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Ann's Bay</span> Town in Middlesex, Jamaica

Saint Ann's Bay is a settlement in Jamaica, the capital of Saint Ann Parish. It had a population of 10,961 at the 1991 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tucker Unit</span>

The Tucker Unit is a prison in Dudley Lake Township, unincorporated Jefferson County, Arkansas, 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Pine Bluff. It is operated by the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC). Tucker is one of the state of Arkansas's "parent units" for male prisoners; it serves as one of several units of initial assignment for processed male prisoners. It is in proximity to, but not within, the Tucker census-designated place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Zoutman</span>

Fort Zoutman is a military fortification at Oranjestad, Aruba. Originally built in 1798 by African slaves, with materials provided by the Amerindians, who performed Statute Labour or corvée for the Dutch West India Company, it is the oldest structure on the island of Aruba, and regarded by UNESCO as a 'Place of Memory of the Slave Trade Route in the Latin Caribbean'. The Willem III Tower was added to the west side of the fort in 1868. The fort and tower were restored and re-opened in 1983 as the Historical Museum of Aruba.

The Department of Correctional Services, Jamaica (DCSJ) is a department of the Ministry of National Security of Jamaica, headquartered in Kingston. The department operates prisons and jails in Jamaica. The current Commissioner of Corrections is Ina Hunter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Haldane</span>

Fort Haldane is located near Port Maria in the parish of St Mary, Jamaica and was erected in 1759. It was named after General George Haldane, then Governor of Jamaica. The fort was constructed to protect the harbour of Port Maria from Spanish raids. It was also used as a garrison to keep the enslaved and working classes of St. Mary under control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Charles (Jamaica)</span> Historical landmark in Port Royal, Jamaica

Fort Charles was built between 1650 and 1660, the first fort constructed in Port Royal, Jamaica.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Fort Augusta Archived 2009-09-08 at the Wayback Machine , Jamaica National Heritage Trust.
  2. 1 2 Makeshift weapons increasing prison deaths Archived 2009-01-14 at the Wayback Machine , Tyrone Reid, Jamaica Gleaner, 2004-02-08.
  3. ↑ Comparison of daily averages* over a 10 year period (1997-2006) by institution and sex Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine , Department Of Correctional Services, 2007.
  4. ↑ Prisoners Abroad News Volume 16 Issue 2 Summer 2005, Jamaica Archived 2009-01-05 at the Wayback Machine , Page 5-6.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Behind these walls, Part 2, Christina Xu, 2007-07-19.
  6. ↑ New prison set to be built, JIS, Jamaica Gleaner, 2007-10-24.
  7. ↑ Jamaica Star: April 17th, 2020: Fort Augusta to be renovated to house deportees
  8. ↑ Froude, James Anthony,The English in the West Indies,1888 ,Chapter XIV
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.