HMP AND SKNDF PARTNERSHIP STRENGTHENS INMATE REHABILITATION THROUGH SKILL TRAINING

Basseterre, Saint Kitts, June 06, 2025 (SKNIS): The close collaboration between His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) and the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF) will continue as the military agency plays a vital support role in the rehabilitation of inmates.

On the June 04, 2025, edition of InFocus, the SKNDF’s Acting Commander, Major Kayode Sutton, touted the impact of the rehabilitation programme that has provided training in technical skills such as auto mechanics, welding, agriculture, and much more. The programme has benefited scores of inmates since it was introduced more than ten years ago.

“We had persons who came to [train] who did not even know how to hold a screwdriver, and now they are able to break down a vehicle engine and transmission and rebuild them,” Major Sutton stated. “There are welders within His Majesty’s Prison well qualified welders, who learnt welding in His Majesty’s Prison. There are people who work on the farms as well, in our gardens, in construction, and we have a number of buildings that were erected at Camp Springfield and Coast Guard Base as well. Most of those buildings were erected with help from the prison.”

The acting commander added that when the inmates are on work duty at Camp Springfield, at the Coast Guard Base or other sites, they are strictly governed by the rules of the SKNDF.

“They are supervised, they are not just left on their own to wander around,” he said, noting that nothing is ever allowed that would violate the SKNDF or HMP rules and regulations or to put anyone at risk.

Major Sutton dismissed a recent social media post as mischievous and said that the integrity of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force will be upheld. 

“We are not deterred by all the negative that goes on social media,” he said. “In fact, it energises us to continue to help, to develop, rehabilitate those inmates so that [when released] they can go out of the prison and be able to live their life and become productive citizens who would contribute to the development of the Federation.”