The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

A “near riot” in June at the Willie Mae Pratt Centre for girls resulted in six inmates being remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison with the public yet to hear from the government what caused the problem, according to FNM Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner.

Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mrs Turner wanted to know why government had not informed the public of the incident as soon as it happened. She said Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin had “many opportunities” to speak on it.

“Since the return of the Christie administration to government and since the Member for Yamacraw took her office once again as the Minister for Social Services – she’s had many opportunities in the press to talk about what she hopes to do and what she plans to do in modernizing social services,” Mrs Butler-Turner said.

“It is regrettable that we hear only of the good but we don’t hear of the challenges. In June, shortly after she would have become the minister, there was a near riot the Willie Mae Pratt school for girls – something we did not read about in the press, something that was not mentioned at all by this minister. No newspaper carried it.

“Six girls were remanded at Her Majesty’s Prison because of that riot (and) one of the cottages was actually terribly destroyed.”

Mrs Butler-Turner, a former Minister of Social Services, stated the government had criticised her “many a times” about the “deteriorating” conditions of the institutions but never noted that even though the buildings are constantly under review and being upgraded, the residents are “constantly breaking the residences up.”

“We had instances during my term where a young lady actually pulled a toilet right out of the floor, where people actually tore the paint off the ceilings, where they pulled the bars off the concrete, where they did these things and yet we had to consistently repair them and upgrade them,” she said. “But not one word (from the present government) about a near riot that took place in June 2012.”

Rising on a point of order, Mrs Griffin claimed the prior government also refused to inform the public of various incidents – using the Mrs Butler-Turner story as an example – and explained the “near riot” is a left-over from the FNM’s term in office.

“I dare say this is the first time this House and the country will be hearing what happened on their (the FNM’s) watch. The first time you’re hearing about the toilet being pulled out – you’re hearing about it now,” she said.

“The member’s talking about what happened in June – one month after taking office. Obviously this is a throwback from what was met in place and what we are diligently trying to fix and is being fixed.”

Mrs Griffin also criticised the conditions of the Willie Mae Pratt Centre and accused an FNM policy of contributing to the behaviour of the residents there and also at the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys.

“The conditions are appalling. They were allowed to deteriorate to the situation where they are and the reason why the girls are like that, and not just the girls but even the young men, is because the Child Protection Act was passed that raised the age limit for those children and no provisions were put in place by the former administration,” she said. “So what is happening is based on the conditions the member and her government left in place.”

Rising again, Mrs Butler-Turner in response to Mrs Griffin’s allegation that the incident was a “throwback from what was met in place” because it took place in June – a month after the PLP took office, said:

“Whether it was one month or one day, this is the government that said they will begin to govern from day one,” she said. “Is she now suggesting that we need to give an even longer length of time? This is a ministry that is familiar to her, she knows the ministry inside and out, she knows it better than any other minister and so the reality is she should know what has to happen in that ministry.”