Published:Monday | October 5, 2015
Jamaicans in New York have started an online petition to raise objection to Britain’s offer to give a £25-million grant to Jamaica to build a new prison.
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| Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron (centre) leaves Gordon House after addressing a joint-sitting of Parliament. He is followed by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (left) and Opposition Leader Andrew Holness. |
The money will cover 40 per cent of the cost of the prison with Jamaican taxpayers being asked to fund the remainder.
The prison is to house 300 Jamaicans convicted in the United Kingdom to complete their sentences here. The offer was announced by Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron while on an official visit to the island last week.
The online petition is urging Jamaicans in New York to reject the prison offer and to make their objection known to Jamaica’s Consulate General in New York as well as Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States. The petition argues that there are other important things in Jamaica that needs more attention than a prison.
It cites the need for more hospital equipment, educational supplies and resources and jobs. At home, the British prison offer has received strong objection from Jamaicans despite the government’s insistence that the proposed facility is good for Jamaica.
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