The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

CORRECTIONS Commissioner Doan Cleare said the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services is acquiring equipment to stop drones from dropping drugs and cellphones into the prison, warning that contraband smuggling threatens rehabilitation and could be used to intimidate witnesses or arrange killings outside the compound.

Commissioner Cleare said security has been strengthened along the Yamacraw Road side of the prison, where people had been throwing contraband onto the compound at night. He said the incidents resulted in four arrests and one suspect being shot.

Commissioner Cleare said the department’s next security priority is the northern wall between Sandilands and Elizabeth Estates. He said that area has been vulnerable to people throwing contraband over the fence, and work on the wall will begin immediately. He noted that the prison itself is already surrounded by 18-foot walls.

Meanwhile, the new court facility tied to BDOCS’ high-medium security prison project is expected to be completed within the next 12 months.

Commissioner Cleare said the project is being built in two phases, with construction of the court already underway.

He said the department received the final 1,200-page design plans for the new prison units within the last two weeks, completing a two-year design process.

He said contractors estimate the new prison will take about 19 months to complete because it will use a modular design.

He said the cells, made by SteelCell in Atlanta, Georgia, have already been completed. The units include study areas, bathrooms, showers, beds and other amenities.

The Davis administration broke ground in July 2025 for the long-promised new high-medium security facility.

The new facility, to be built near the prison’s planned judicial virtual complex, will include mental health cells, a clinic, medical unit, chapel, library and other features.

The project, estimated to cost $50m, will be funded through a public-private partnership. At the time of the groundbreaking, officials said it was expected to take two to three years to complete.

Officials have said the virtual court complex will span 19,000 square feet and include two physical courtrooms and judges’ quarters. The foundation has already been cut.