The Bordelais Correctional Facility located in Dennery has been confronted this week by two very regrettable incidents and the Management of the facility is currently engaged in taking all the necessary steps to deal with the two unrelated incidents.
On Thursday morning of September 16, around 9 a.m. a correctional officer raised the alarm after discovering an unresponsive inmate in an individual cell on the maximum security block.
A male identified as 45-year-old mentally ill inmate Kelvin Wilson appeared unresponsive in the cell and bloodied; prompting the prison authorities to summon the emergency services and the Police to investigate further.
Kelvin Wilson also known as ‘Carlos’ or ‘Goats’ was later pronounced dead by a medical doctor. The inmate, whose death is now the subject of a police investigation was admitted at the facility on April 15, 2003 in relation to a murder.
Prison officials have expressed regret and dismay at the occurrence of this incident which they say they will officially report to the family of the inmate.
The BCF has no recollection on record of any violent incident resulting in death on compound, despite violent clashes between inmates being a constant day to day operational challenge for officers.
Director of the BCF Mr. Hilary Herman has given the assurances that the institution remains committed to regular searches for contraband including homemade weapons amongst prisoners to ensure the safety of the prison population and staff.
Meantime, in a separate incident at the Bordelais Correctional Facility on Wednesday, July 15, 2021 a 21-year-old male who is on remand was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after being stabbed. He is currently admitted. BCF officials engage several methods to maintain peace and order at the over-crowded facility, including the separation of individuals who are known to have ongoing conflicts.
Constant vigilance by officers, the presence of the special operations response team and anger management interventions, the director explained, are among the reasons there are fewer physical confrontations among inmates. The current prison population now stands at 486 including 14 females.