Protesters say HMP construction delays have been failing inmates for decades

Protesters gathered in front of Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's on Tuesday, calling on the government to get serious about replacing the decrepit jail with a facility capable of handling inmates' complex needs for rehabilitation. 

Last month, the government decided to re-start the process of designing the new penitentiary — something that was promised in 2019, and supposed to have been completed by 2022. 

The province blamed rising costs for the delay, saying the initial estimated price tag of $200 million has ballooned to $325 million.   

Late last month, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister John Abbott said his department would issue a request for qualifications on Jan. 2, followed by a six-week period during which proposals are evaluated and potential proponents will be asked to submit detailed plans.

That's not good enough for people like Harold Williams, who spent years as an inmate at HMP in the 1980s. 

Williams says Newfoundland and Labrador doesn't have time to wait several more years for a new prison, because inmates need help for rehabilitation now.

"I could never focus my thoughts about trying to do good when I wanted to, because it was just so dirty in there and so full of confusion," Williams said. 

"I've been in these places all around Canada, and this is the worst one in existence right now ... animals are being held at a higher regard."

Williams said prisoners need to be treated humanely if they're going to find the motivation to change course. 

But a new building isn't going to be enough to solve all of the issues inmates at HMP are facing. 

Mary Quinlan Breckenridge, a mental health nurse, spent years volunteering with the John Howard Society in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and she said there were talks of replacing HMP back then. 

Quinlan Breckenridge says the province needs a new facility with space for programming and programs for violent offenders, sex offenders, and appropriate interventions for people with mental health issues. 

"I've been in HMP quite a few times, the conditions are deplorable," she said. "The treatment options are extremely limited. [Inmates] are going to return to our communities, and we need for them to be healthier, stronger, more capable of dealing with life."

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