TCI News
TCI: Statement from Hon. Vaden Williams in response to Human Rights Commission about Her Majesty’s Prison
#Providenciales, November 17, 2018 – Turks and Caicos – A recent newspaper article from the Turks and Caicos Islands Human Rights Commission about conditions at Her Majesty’s Prison in Grand Turk, not only sought to raise issues at that institution, but it also calls into question the motive behind the said commentary which contained several exaggerations and inaccuracies.
First, there can be no denying that problems exist at the prison, as is the case at penal institutions worldwide.
While the issues raised by the Human Rights Commission have existed for many years and therefore predate this administration, my ministry and this government is on record stating our commitment to effect positive changes, not only at the prison, but at all other institutions throughout the country that have been either neglected or under-funded by previous administrations.
As a government, we do not take any matters at the prison lightly.
This is precisely why we feel that it was highly reckless, improper and sensational for the Human Rights Commission to call for the prison to be condemned, especially without any facts or logic to substantiate such a recommendation.
Such knee-jerk and emotional reaction only serves to create unnecessary panic locally, while at the same time painting an unwarranted and ugly picture of our country in the international community.
As the minister responsible for the prison, I can agree that there is room for improvement at the institution, but the situation is honestly not as drastic and dire as the Human Rights Commission has stated.
I therefore want to give the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands and beyond, the absolute assurance that we are committed to penal reform and continuous upgrades at the prison.
Indeed, the record will reflect that since assuming office in December 2016, we have been systematically working to address the myriad of issues that existed and those that have surfaced. It remains a work in progress.
In this financial year, $1,000,000 has been allocated to renovation and reconstruction of the yellow wing, following the known devastation which the prison experienced during hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Over the past two years we also boosted manpower resources at the prison with trained personnel from the UK.
In collaboration with the management of the prison, we are continuously reviewing and diligently working to improve aspects of operations at the prison that have been identified.
These corrective initiatives are highly sensitive and of course cannot all be ventilated in the public domain, because of internal and national security implications.
My ministry and my government therefore finds it patently puzzling that officials from the Human Rights Commission would visit the prison with ulterior motives, and then proceed to launch a strong and scathing attack on the institution without at all seeking to engage the government of the day in dialogue about the Commission’s findings and concerns. The Ministry has yet to be in receipt of any reports from the Human Rights Commission.
This disingenuous approach which can be reasonably interpreted from the content and tone of the article, as “gotcha politics”, only serves to undermine the serious role, functioning, impartiality and independence of the Human Rights Commission.
Our country has its own peculiar set of circumstances and the prison has various forms of rehabilitation that have 
proven beneficial to inmates.
It is therefore most unfortunate that the Human Rights Commission would seek to distort the truth and exaggerate conditions at the workshop, the prison farm and in the computer room, all of which have been doing exceptionally well for many prisoners and also to the benefit of the public.
Let me also take this opportunity to tell the public that as part of the rehabilitative exercise, Cabinet has approved the alternative sentencing bill that will be tabled in the House of Assembly at its next sitting, also to include a probation and rehabilitation unit; provisions for the recruit for new staff was provided this financial year.
This will of course add new dimensions to sentencing options and how inmates are reintegrated into our small society and will also contain a wide range of progressive penal reform measures.
I wish to close these remarks by stating that all of us in this country, including the Human Rights Commission, must work together as partners to ensure that the prison and by extension the Turks & Caicos is a better.
While criticisms are always welcome, hidden agendas and panic attacks do very little to instill confidence in the nation building exercise which should be a common and resolute goal.
Press Release: Ministry of Home Affairs
Wilkie Arthur
Freelance Court Correspondent
#TurksandCaicos, April 25, 2024 – He was busted at the Howard Hamilton Providenciales International Airport on Friday, April 16, 2024.
He allegedly had in his luggage four (4) rounds of 6.5mm ammunition on his departure to his homeland in Oklahoma in the United States of America (USA).
Ryan Watson and his wife were arrested and placed into police lock up. Both were later granted police bail, and upon return to police station the Monday after the couple’s arrest, the husband alone was charged by detective Police Constable Kimberlee Markland for
unlawful possession of the four rounds of ammunition.
Watson was escorted to court on Tuesday, April 23rd, placed before the learned Chief Magistrate Mr. Jolyon Hatmin and remanded to His Majesty’s Prison until his sufficiency hearing on June 7, this (2024) year.
His counsel, Mr. Oliver Smith KC and his junior assistant Mrs. Kimone Tennant immediately sought bail for him in the Supreme Court which was heard the following day (Wednesday April 24) before her Ladyship Ms. Tanya Lobban-Jackson and was granted bail, without hassle in the amount or $15,000.00 cash or surety.
The Crown, in the person of senior public prosecutor Ms. Tassja Mitchell did not oppose bail.
Magnetic Media can report that once again on the afternoon of the Tuesday April 24th, after the accused RYAN TYLER WATSON, 41 was remanded by the Magistrate’s court, the U.S. Embassy issued an warning to it’s citizens and travelers to carefully check their bags when traveling to Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) as TCI authorities are strictly enforcing firearm and ammunition laws and if found you could go to prison for 12 years.
A real question of great concern and public importance is: should the TCI courts sentence tourists to the full mandatory minimum of 12 years imprisonment for simple possession firearm and/or ammunition.
The succinct answer is: Yes!
The Court of Appeal, just last month said in its written judgment that “ALL PERSONS,” including tourist/visitors must go to prison if found guilty or pleas guilty to firearm and ammunition offences.
However, there remains the concern about how much time in prison a judge should give a visitor regardless of the existence of exceptional circumstances.
Should the judge imprison a visitor to the territory, who may have been wrongly informed, for example, the full mandatory minimum term or must a reduced prison term be imposed.
If TCI judges start to give less than the mandatory minimum to tourists/visitors, it is being strong and widely advocated by senior defense attorneys that the same must apply to local or residents of these Islands, who may also present exceptional circumstances.
Arguments about the equity in delivery of justice is what drove the question to the Court of Appeal late in 2023. The decision came this past February.
‘We cannot find ourselves sentencing tourists regardless of exceptional circumstances to lesser sentences, and when those same exceptional circumstances are found in local cases, it’s being ignored by our judges.’
Human Rights Attorney, Sheena Mair has on more than one occasion argued this point; including in firearm and ammunition bail applications. She would put the very same judges and prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution on the spot by reminding the judges and the prosecutors that precedent has been set.
‘You’ve just granted bail to a tourist for firearm and ammunition but now here’s a local person, same charge but because he’s a local he can’t get bail? He has to be remanded pending a trial that could take years before it’s heard?’
Mair has valiantly outlined the wrong in this and clearly stated this practice is “not fair” and it’s “not proper administration of justice in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Ms. Mair further complained that tourists would plea guilty to possession of firearm and ammunition and be released on bail pending sentencing but as for a local, he or she has to wait on remand at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pending sentencing.
The attorney criticizes the optics of such decisions and is on record reminding the Judge that the Court of Appeal has already set out that the law applies to everyone; visitors and locals alike.
A police statement issued Wednesday April 24 informs: “Today (April 24th), Mr. Watson appeared in the Supreme Court and, following a bail application, was granted $15,000 bail with the following conditions:
1) Not travel out of TCI without the court’s permission.
2) Surrender his passport and all other travel documents to the court
3) Report to Grace Bay Police Station on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 8 am-4 pm,
4) Reside at the given address in Providenciales; any address change will be provided before the court.”
The American from Oklahoma whose story is trending in the US and has been carried by leading news networks was joined by a host of loved ones at the Courthouse.
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