The St Vincent government on Monday said the closing of Kingstown Prison is a strategic objective designed to streamline the island security infrastructure.
Prime Minister Dr Godwin Friday said that all prison operations will be consolidated at the Belle Isle Correctional Facility, moving the system away from maintaining multiple sites.
The Belle Isle Correctional Facility became operational in 2012 under the previous ULP administration. it is the central location for incarceration and houses both remand and convicted inmates with focus on rehabilitation.
The Kingstown Prison will be fully decommissioned, ending the use of the aging facility which was built in 1855.
This transition is scheduled for completion by mid-2026.
PM Friday stated that this is part of a wider security reform agenda aimed at removing “operational choke-points” and addressing the “degraded infrastructure” that has previously undermined the effectiveness and morale of the security services.