Coat of Arms of the Government of Dominica

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History of the Dominica State Prison

The Dominica Prison was constructed in October 1954 at its present site to accommodate eighty-four (84) inmates. At that time, persons who were sent to prison came from the lower strata of society, the majority of whom were illiterate.

Man standing with right foot on chairThere were no provisions made for white colour crimes. The structures were basic and did not have the provisions as enshrined in the prison regulations then and now.

In more recent times the young generation has become more sophisticated in their criminal behavior hence prison management had to adopt new strategies to deal with the internal and external environment. Societal services have failed in its attempt to coerce its charges and the prison population has grown apace.

The types of individuals now incarcerated are not only from the lower strata like times gone by, but are in fact high school drop outs, high school and university graduates. A few are of the white colour crime family. Many of whom have been exposed to prison environment in other countries. These types of inmates pose a very different and challenging threat to prison management. If we look at some prison statistics from 2005 to 2012, we can see the trend of young offenders who make up about 85% of the present prison population.

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