Two senior prison officers who have been with Her Majesty’s Cayman Islands Prison Service since 1981 will be honoured during the 35^th anniversary celebrations being held from 24-30 April.

Acting Deputy Director – Rehabilitation Richard Barton and Deputy Director Claira Range, who is in charge of HMP Fairbanks, are the Prison Service’s longest-serving employees and have been co-workers since HMP Northward opened in 1981.

The two will take part in a special presentation at a reception on Friday (April 29) as part of a series of events during the Cayman Islands’ first ever formal Corrections Week.

A popular pair, Mr. Barton is a father figure at HMP Northward, while the motherly Mrs. Range is affectionately called Mama Claira by both inmates and prison officers.

Both hail from Jamaica but moved to the Cayman Islands prior to joining the Prison Service, where they received training from United Kingdom (U.K.) officers on island to set up the new prison.

While at one time the emphasis was on ensuring that prisoners did not escape, the approach is now on education and rehabilitation.

“There are so many programmes compared to back in the day,” said Mr. Barton. “Now everyone has a ‘sentence plan’ from the day they arrive to the day their sentence ends.”

And it’s this focus on rehabilitation that sees Mr. Barton respected by inmates and fellow officers, alike.

“We cannot condemn people who come to prison,” he said. “It is not my job to criticize or judge – it is my job to help them go back out better people. I don’t refer to them as prisoners, I call them ‘my students’.”

After 35 years in the service, Mr. Barton says it will soon be time to hand his role to a younger officer, but he has not regretted one minute of his career at the prison.

Although Mrs. Range initially thought she would only stay a year, she has dedicated her life to the Prison Service.

“I stayed in the Prison Service as I realized that people really need people, whether you are a prisoner or an officer,” she said. “My happiest moments are to see the prisoners do well and stay out of prison. I also love to see staff members take pride in doing their jobs and going that extra mile, too.

“I will not leave work if I can stay and help someone sort out a problem. I think I am a good listener and also a compassionate person.”

Corrections Week is being held to mark the prison service’s 35^th anniversary, and is set to become an annual event.

(GIS) Photo captions: (Photos Catherine MacGillivray)

1 Claira Range, affectionately known as Mama Claira.

2 Richard Barton, a father figure at HMP Northward.

3 Claira Range and Richard Barton have worked together for 35 years.