Commissioner of Prisons Dennis Pulchan says as construction continues on the south wing of the Golden Grove Remand facility in Arouca, there have been no reported issues relating to spacing and capacity of inmates, who are being housed in other prisons across the island.

Construction began shortly after a riot in May 2020, when over 250 prisoners tried to escape. During the fracas several parts of the building were destroyed before police restored order.

Speaking with Newsday on Thursday, Pulchan said the last of the construction was expected to be finished by early March and the construction firm had been asked to speed up work.

He said around 400 inmates who originally occupied the south wing were transferred to different facilities while the work was being done, adding that there was enough space available to adequately house those displaced.

"We have transferred them to different prisons: some in the Port of Spain prison, others in the Maximum Security Prison (MSP) and the Eastern Detention Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre (EDCRC).

"Take the MSP for instance. That facility is designed to hold 2,400 inmates and there are only 1,800 inmates, so we're hoping to have the inmates returned and the situation back to normal shortly."

Pulchan said while he could not go into too much detail, some of the work being done on the south wing was enhanced security features to better protect officers and prisoners.

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