Point Blanche Prison Recovery Progresses, and Kingdom Support ContinuesThu May 22 2025
Recovery efforts at the Point Blanche Prison remain ongoing following the May 14 riot and fire.The Ministry of Justice continues to lead efforts focused on safety, stabilization, and restoringessential services at the facility.Given ongoing safety concerns and updated assessments by the Prison Director and CrisisManagement Team, the Minister has extended the temporary suspension of inmate rights andprivileges for another 72 hours, effective May 21, 2025. These measures remain necessarywhile the situation stabilizes.Operational support has grown with continued assistance from Kingdom partners. Twocorrectional officers from Curaçao arrived yesterday, and fourteen police officers from Arubaand Curaçao are being deployed to assist KPSM in maintaining safety and order. Of thosefourteen, three were sworn in yesterday by Minister Tackling, with the remaining eleven arrivingtoday.
Specialized deep-cleaning is also scheduled to begin today, following VSA’s health and safetyrecommendations. To support this phase, UNOPS is sending a security expert to provideguidance on emergency coordination, incident command, and recovery planning.Infrastructure work is progressing. Electricity has been restored to critical areas of the facility,and discussions are taking place with VROMI to advance the new facility building and civilworks permit process. As part of temporary measures to support inmate well-being and maintainstructure within the facility, board games, and puzzles were introduced to promote constructiveactivity and emotional stability during this period.The Ministry remains focused on restoring order and safety, with continued support from localteams and Kingdom partners. Further updates will follow as progress continueswww.stmaartennews.ai/home