By Diara Springer
The once-imposing Glendairy Prison located in Station Hill, St Michael, is now obscured by wild, unchecked foliage spilling across the property.
Vines snake their way up the weathered walls, infiltrating through broken windows and cracks in the stonework.
The area behind the prison has become an impromptu graveyard for abandoned vehicles, their rusted frames slowly disappearing beneath the advancing vegetation.
For nearly two decades, the abandoned prison site has been left to the elements, with only local wildlife taking advantage of the derelict space.
However, there is now a proposal to breathe new life into the Glendairy property – transforming it into a secondchance facility where those looking to change their lives can grow food, showcase their skills and build their futures.
The suggestion came from director of the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit, Cheryl Willoughby, who said the old prison could be used to rehabilitate ex-convicts.
She threw out the recommendation during a webinar on Wednesday which focused on the findings of an updated recidivism study.
The idea gained traction with some residents in the Station Hill area, who have grown increasingly frustrated with the neglected state of the former prison grounds.
“It looks ridiculous. The walls overcrowded with bush. It run to ruin,” said resident Muriel Belle.
“They left it like this from the time the prison burn down.”
The Glendairy Prison was the main correctional facility in Barbados until it was destroyed in a prison uprising in 2005. Its replacement, Dodds Prison in St Philip, opened in 2007. However, in the 19 years since the original prison’s demise, the overgrown Glendairy site has become a nuisance for the surrounding community.
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