A MAJOR MILESTONE was achieved yesterday in the construction of the new Barbados prison at Dodds, St Philip.

The first prison cell modules were placed in position on the slab at building "C" in the female remand housing section – a quad module with four single cells and a double module with two single cells.

"By the end of next week," said construction manager Ross Densky, "107 of these modules would be put in place on the 25-acre site and the balance would be put in place during August."

When completed, the prison will house 1 250 inmates and it is expected to receive its first prisoners in the early part of next year.

Attorney-General and Minister of Home Affairs, Dale Marshall, toured the prison site and saw first-hand the positioning of the cell modules. He noted the "evidence of significant progress" and said he was heartened by "the fact that the first block of cells has gone in today".

"I've been informed by the contractors that by the end of August this site will finally begin to look like a prison facility with the full complement of cells installed," he added.

"The project . . . is not going to meet the December deadline that we had expected. There have been tremendous pressures in terms of the availability of materials for construction projects, not just in Barbados but it is a global phenomenon. So, there have been some challenges.

"Given the specialised nature of these materials, the delays thus far, I don't think, are unreasonable. We still expect to have the facility completed and ready to take in inmates very early next year," he said. (BGIS)