The US Country Report for Grenada generally gave that troubled island nation a favourable review.

“Prison conditions generally met international standards, with the exception of overcrowding, and the government permitted visits by independent human rights observers. Overcrowding was a significant problem, as 367 prisoners were housed in space designed for 98 persons.

Women were held in a separate section of the prison from men. There was no separate facility for juveniles, so they were held with the general prison population.”

However, there were reports that police unlawfully beat detainees in custody in order to extract confessions.

CURB encourages other Caribbean nations to look to Grenada as an example of a developing nation that seeks to provide a humane  environment for its offenders. The island’s review is especially worthy of appreciation in view of the fact that much of the island was destroyed and its prison facilities heavily damaged a few years ago in a hurricane.