(from report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 2014 visit to SINT MAARTEN and Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
b. Simpson Bay Remand Centre. (Read full CPT report)
244. Simpson Bay was built as an immigration detention centre and a Judicial Permission of 25
November 2011 and signed by the Minister of Justice was granted to allow the premises to be used
as a prison for 18 months.
At the time of the visit, all 11 female remand and sentenced prisoners were being held in a
large dormitory on the first floor. The room was in a decent state of repair and had reasonable
access to natural light and adequate artificial lighting. However, there was little ventilation and the
toilets, lined up in a row, provided no privacy as there was no door enclosing each cubicle.
As for the regime, the women had access to an association room from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
where they could watch television, and an effort had been made to initiate a series of activities such
as anger management, Bible and English language classes for two and a half hours twice a week.
Moreover, the women were not offered any outdoor exercise. Taken together this does not
constitute a sufficient programme of purpose activities.
The conditions of detention in the two dormitories on the second floor, which were
accommodating male prisoners, were of a similar standard. Although they were offered access to an
outdoor exercise yard every day, they were not provided with any activities.
While bearing in mind that holding prisoners at Simpson Bay is supposed to be a temporary
measure (up to some four months at the time of the visit), it is nevertheless important that prisoners
are provided with decent material conditions and that they are offered some purposeful activities.
Further, they should all be offered at least one hour of outdoor exercise every day.
The CPT recommends that the necessary steps be taken to remedy the deficiencies
outlined above, for as long as Simpson Bay continues to be used for holding prisoners.
