Prisoners getting younger and younger
Barrett (second from left) Photo Credit: GIS/Facebook A senior rehabilitation officer at His Majesty’s Prison warned that offenders entering custody are getting younger, including a minor now held...
Barrett (second from left) Photo Credit: GIS/Facebook A senior rehabilitation officer at His Majesty’s Prison warned that offenders entering custody are getting younger, including a minor now held at the territory’s lone prison. “We have a 13-year-old up at the prison right now. I think that's common knowledge by now,” Walter Barrett said during the opening day of the Virgin Islands Anti-Crime Summit.
He described youth crime as “a very serious thing” and urged better alternatives to custody for children. Barrett, who leads restorative justice work at the facility, said that discussions often miss the triggers that push people into offending. “It says that opportunity plus threat equals crime,” he said, noting many offences arise when people face pressure such as hunger or job loss, not because they are “inherently bad,” he added.
He pressed leaders to fund a dedicated juvenile facility so minors are not housed with adults at Balsam Ghut. “It is very important that we take our finances and we put some money into building a place and a space for our juveniles. They cannot keep coming up to the prison among hardened criminals,” he said.
Barrett highlighted rehabilitation tools that can cut reoffending. “I've been able to use restorative justice… and it has been proven to be very, very effective,” he said, recounting a case in which a young burglar met a teacher whose camera held an irreplaceable family image; the boy later volunteered extra work for the school after learning the harm he caused, he explained.
His appeal comes amid long-running concerns that the Virgin Islands still lacks a proper juvenile detention and rehabilitation centre, despite constitutional duties to separate minors from adults in custody. The government recently acknowledged it continues to breach the Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007 on juvenile detention, and lawmakers again faced calls to act.
Mentoring group MALE also called for a youth facility earlier this year, noting that young offenders are currently sent directly to HMP Balsam Ghut. Pressure on the prison adds to the challenge. The Governor praised staff last December for managing overcrowding at Balsam Ghut, while stressing the need for investment in facilities and rehabilitation.
A 2024 report also noted delays to plans for a centre to house juveniles and others needing specialised care. Barrett warned that without options that fit children’s needs, the territory risks higher reoffending. “When a juvenile goes to prison, the risk of recidivism is very high,” he said while urging a purpose-built site staffed with the right expertise.
Primary source: BVI News