Several people injured during riot at Bordelais prison

Borderlais Correction Facility, St Lucia

We've just picked up the news that there was a near riot at the Bordelais Correctional Facility in St Lucia earlier this month, with several inmates and prison officers injured in the disturbance.

According to local news reports, the inmates were protesting long court delays, the repeated adjournment of their cases and prison conditions.

While we don't condone the inmates' actions, we understand their frustrations. No-one, not even the accused, should have to wait years and years for the opportunity to present their case in court.

St Lucia’s justice system is clearly overstretched and under resourced. Each delay and adjournment adds further cost and complexity to St Lucia's existing problems and further contributes to the island's spiral of decline.