Member of Parliament Hendrik Tevreden has raised the alarm over the crisis at the Aruba Correctional Institution (KIA), calling on the Government to implement immediate and concrete solutions.
Although plans have been presented for a new prison in 2028, Tevreden stressed that the safety of both correctional staff and detainees is a matter of life and death today and cannot be postponed through political debates or long-term promises.
Where is the transition plan for 2026, 2027, and 2028?
The parliamentarian strongly questioned the absence of a concrete transition plan for the coming years. Although Minister Arthur Dowers presented a UNOPS structural plan for a new $119 million prison scheduled for completion in 2028, the reality is that Aruba is already halfway through 2026 and nothing tangible has yet been implemented to address the current crisis.
Tevreden emphasized that a prison for the future does not protect the officers reporting for duty today. A study does not repair holes in prison walls, a long-term vision does not replace a missing scanner, and a plan for tomorrow does not provide the K9 unit with the vehicle it needs today to perform its duties.
Poor working conditions
Reports from KIA employees regarding deteriorating walls, structurally weakened areas covered with plywood, staff shortages, and a lack of equipment require urgent attention.
According to Tevreden, the minister has a duty to deliver immediate solutions and cannot continue using the past as an excuse during parliamentary debates. Governments are not elected to explain what previous administrations failed to accomplish over the past seven years but to solve today’s crises.
Serious concerns about good governance
The situation surrounding the prison scanner, which is currently out of service, raises serious questions about good governance.
Tevreden explained that if the current “emergency” resulted from an expired lease, an unsigned contract, unpaid invoices, or delayed decisions, then it represents an administrative emergency carrying direct political responsibility.
He reminded Parliament that the minister was instructed to submit, within 14 days, all documentation relating to the scanner, including:
Decision-making records and risk assessments.
Contracts, invoices, and supplier information.
The reasons for deviating from normal procedures.
The timeline for restoring full operation.
However, as of today, Parliament has not received any of these documents.
Urgent action for KIA
Tevreden concluded by stressing that KIA employees are not asking for luxury, but for safe working conditions, adequate equipment, a properly equipped K9 unit, sufficient staffing, and the protection they need while carrying out their duties.
While work on a new prison for the future can continue simultaneously, the Government’s current responsibility is to protect the people who enter KIA every day to perform their jobs. Their safety cannot wait for another announcement; KIA needs action today.