- NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Superintendent Basil Gordon (left) converses with Charmaine Grey, information officer at the Department of Correctional Services, about the history of the Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre. In the background is an old brick building to be preserved.
Lovelette Brooks, Special Projects Editor
A HUGE grey, steel door opens from within and a short dirt corridor takes us within the walled Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre for women. Close to mid-day, there is relative quietude as the women, repressed and stolid, complete their morning chores.
It is overcast and the lack of sunshine brings attention to the pallor of the buildings painted yellow and grey, obviously a long time ago. The courtyard is bare except for a few coconut trees and shrubs, and the low, barrack-style dormitories stand out like sentinels at the medium-security prison for women.
150 INMATES
Here reside some 150 inmates, most serving time for various drug offences.
The shapeless gingham dresses they wear is symbolic of the individuality and uniqueness they have lost. Freedom for many is a long way off, and when freedom comes, it is likely to take a different route.
A brand new prison is to be built on lands acquired in St. Catherine, and states Commissioner of Corrections, Major Richard Reece, plans are well advanced.
"We are presently receiving tenders from both the U.S. and U.K. governments to build a new facility to be owned, leased by the successful bidder and then transferred to the Jamaican Government," he says. "The new prison will be designed using a modern campus-style concept to accommodate both males and females, replacing the antiquated facilities at Fort Augusta."
The peninsula on which Fort Augusta sits and the lands adjacent to it, have been sold to the Port Authority of Jamaica and all 50 acres (125 hectares) will be incorporated into redevelopment plans under way at the Port of Kingston.
But while this type of urban expansion is necessary, The Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) is proposing that some sections of the centuries-old Fort Augusta be preserved.
"It is declared as a national monument, it has historic value and above all, it is the biggest of the three minor forts in Kingston and the only one that is almost intact," says Andrea Brahman, information officer at the JNHT.
Fort Augusta is one of three forts built by the Spaniards in the early 1500s. The others are Fort Charles in Port Royal and Rockfort in East Kingston.
"Shortly after arriving in the island in 1494, the Spaniards built Fort Augusta, which was strategic to the defence of the country," related Superintendent Basil Gordon, the local historian. "From the strategic fort, anyone approaching from the sea can be sighted. Most of the fort lies to the south of the prison grounds to allow ships to berth under the archway at the tip of peninsula. Fort Augusta played a great role in British and French invasions, and therefore a major role in protecting the island." Of the 50 acres, about five are worth preserving, he notes.
STORIES
A tour of the prison grounds tells not only stories of the lifestyle of the soldiers and their families who lived here, but of intense battles between the Spanish and the British. The fort itself was built on top of a Catholic church, the edifice of which remains intact.
Surrounding the fort, are seawalls, strong enough to have withstood major earthquakes and hurricanes. These reflect both Spanish and English influences - the English having occupied the Fort when they defeated Spain.
All lookout and points of defence are clearly distin-guishable and marked by huge cannons "great guns" that still seem to keep a silent watch over the prison. Several tunnels, side cells and bunkers are also relics worthy of preservation.
Chairman and managing director of the Port Authority, Noel Hylton, has given the assurance that most of the old Spanish structures at Fort Augusta will be retained.
HISTORY OF FORT AUGUSTAThe history of Fort Augusta is as much about the continuous movement of inmates from one facility to the next as about preserving the old fort. In fact, it was once an all-male correctional centre.
Superintendent Gordon recalls that Fort Augusta was built for medium-security-risk male inmates. They were taken there from Tower Street which was the point of reception. From there they were processed and taken to Fort Augusta via boats. He says one was called Pam Pam, and the other, SS Steamster. "In February 1988, Fort Augusta switched over from being a male facility to a female one. Inmates were housed at St. Jago Adult Correctional Centre at Monk Street prior to coming over to Fort Augusta," recalls the Superintendent, himself in charge of both Tower Street and Fort Augusta at that time.
1845-1975
From 1845-1975, female prisons were housed at Tower Street, which was built to accommodate 100 women. They were later housed at Manchioneal Prison in Portland, and later Monk Street, in Spanish Town. In 1998, through the instrumentality of then First Lady Beverley Manley, the women were removed from Monk Street as the building was considered a fire hazard.
"Commissioner Juswyn Jarrett decided to relocate female inmates to Fort Augusta. Males were transferred to Tower Street and St. Catherine District Prisons, making way for 288 inmates to be held in dormitories," says Supt. Gordon in putting the history of the institution into greater perspective.
"Our developers will be working closely with the JNHT to ensure that nothing of historic value is lost and that the important artefacts of the institution will be preserved."
