The state of our penal system is in a very deplorable condition. Despite many promises by both JLP and PNP administrations very little has been done to alleviate the problems. Both of our major prisons, built nearly three hundred year ago, house inmates in  very terrible conditions. They are over-crowded and lack basic sleeping and bathroom facilities for the inmates. Our lockups are in similar conditions and unlike the prisons where the prisoners are allowed outdoors breaks, the accused persons housed at our lockups are kept confined at all times. Some accused persons spend months in our lockups under these conditions. We need schools, hospitals, roads and we also need more remand centers and a new prison. At all times when the discussion of the need for  a new prison and remand centers arises, the argument that this money could be spent on schools hospitals, roads etc always comes up. JAP is committed to the building of a new prison and remand centres to properly housed the penal population and will aggressively seek funding for it in a similar way to which we seek funding for our hospitals schools and roads etc.
JAP will seek to have remand centres located at strategic  locations all across the island to housed  persons who have been remanded by the court. This  will be more secure and will free up hundreds of police personnel who are involved in guarding these inmates at police stations. Persons will be housed at our police station only after they have been arrested and before they appear in the court. With the expected decrease in crimes due to initiatives taken and   proposed changes in the sentencing options and guidelines, it is expected that there will be a large decrease in the prison population. 
Sexual offenders will be housed separately  and be given the treatment needed with the hope that they will not offend again after they are released. Procedures will also be put in place to ensure that those persons who are sentenced to do hard labour will do hard labour. Programmes to rehabilitate our prisoners will be continued and expanded  as much as it is needed. Measures will be put in place to oversee and ensure the proper treatment of all persons held in our penal system. Officials from this entity will visit these penal locations and make certain that proper procedures are being followed. Prisoners will be allowed more visits and be allowed to interact more closely with their immediate family and children. They will also be allowed to make limited phone calls to their family unless they are barred by the court or prison officials for security reasons. Legislation will be look at with a view of releasing some first time, non-violent offender and  suitable conditions will be attached to each of those released.  The parole system will be reformed to allow victims and their families to testify at parole hearings. Also the victims and witnesses must be notified if and when  a person is granted parole. Too often it is only when they meet up on the street that a victim or witness is aware that the person is no longer in prison. A system of properly monitoring parolees who will have to report to parole officers will be put in place so that the authority will know where they are and what they are doing. Also if parolees re-offend they will be returned to prison to continue serving their sentence.