Richmond Hill Prison is a prison in Saint George's, the capital of Grenada. Known officially as His Majesty's Prison, it is run by the Ministry of National Security. The prison governor is Mr. Rupert Neckles, the Commissioner of Prisons in Grenada.[2][1]
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| Coordinates | 12°02′56″N 61°44′25″W / 12.0488°N 61.7403°W |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 198 |
| Population | 463 (as of 2019) |
| Opened | 1880 |
| Governor | Mr. Rupert Neckles[1] |
| Street address | His Majesty's Prison, Richmond Hill |
| City | Saint George's |
| Country | Grenada |
The prison has separate sections for male and female prisoners.[3] As of 2019[update] it held 463 prisoners, more than double its official capacity of 198.[2]
History
editThe prison is on land that was used to house a military hospital since the late 18th century[4] and the current building was converted into a prison in 1880.[5] The wing for female prisoners was added in 1904.[6]
The Grenadian politician Bernard Coard and other members of the Grenada 17 were imprisoned in Richmond Hill Prison.[7] In a report in 2003, Amnesty International described the conditions they were kept in as inhumane.[8] The last of the Grenada 17 prisoners were released in 2009.[7]
On 25 October 1983, as part of the U.S. invasion of Grenada, the U.S. armed forces' Delta Force attempted to capture Richmond Hill Prison to retrieve political prisoners, flying in on helicopters operated by the 160th Aviation Battalion. The raid on the prison lacked vital intelligence, including the fact that several anti-aircraft guns defended it, and that the prison was on a steep hill without room for a helicopter to land. Anti-aircraft fire wounded passengers and crew and forced one MH-60 helicopter to crash land. The Black Hawk pilot was killed, but a Navy SH-3H helicopter rescued 11 crash survivors.[9][10]
References
edit- ^ a b "Prisons". National Portal of the Government of Grenada. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ^ a b "Grenada | World Prison Brief". www.prisonstudies.org. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ^ "Information Pack for British Prisoners in Grenada". GOV.UK. September 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ^ "Richmond Hill Prison". The Grenada Revolution Online. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ^ "Today in History: 1 February 1880". NOW Grenada. 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ^ Puri, Shalini (2014), Puri, Shalini (ed.), "Prison", The Grenada Revolution in the Caribbean Present: Operation Urgent Memory, New Caribbean Studies, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 225–250, doi:10.1057/9781137066909_10, ISBN 978-1-137-06690-9, retrieved 2021-05-14
- ^ a b "Last of "Grenada 17" released". BBC Caribbean. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ^ "Grenada: The Grenada 17: the last of the cold war prisoners?". Amnesty International. October 2003. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ^ Kukielski, Philip (2019). The U.S. Invasion of Grenada : legacy of a flawed victory. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 66–68. ISBN 978-1-4766-7879-5. OCLC 1123182247.
- ^ Bolger, Daniel P. (December 1988). "Special Operations and the Grenada Campaign" (PDF). apps.dtic.mil. p. 58. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 15, 2021.
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