Prison Commissioner: New Prison For Black Men
Commissioner of Prisons Lieutenant-Colonel Eddie Lamb spoke at the “Violence, Anger and the Legacy of Racism” seminar two weeks ago, and started out with a thought provoking statement:
Where were you when the announcement rang out through this community, when the headline screeched across the Royal Gazette that the Government was building a new prison for black men?
Remember that article, remember that headline? That the Government was building a new $20 million, well went to $40 million, prison for black people?
Remember that article, remember that headline?
No, it never appeared.
So why are our young black men inhabiting Westgate?
With a positive outlook and powerful statements, the former Regiment Commanding officer went on to say that “jail is not the solution, it’s a place where we take them out of society and keep them away from you, it’s not the fix“.
Appearing genuinely invested in improving the lives of individuals who are incarcerated, the Colonel spoke of the misconception that corporal punishment and the death penalty are the solution. The St. David’s Islander drew laughter from the crowd later on when he offered to give veteran activist Dr. Eva Hodgson “some licks“.
One of our series of five videos from the event, watch a three minute excerpt of Colonel Lamb’s speech below:
