The issue of overtime and budget cuts has forced early Christmas visits for the Island’s prison population this year.Some 263 inmates will spend Christmas behind bars, just eleven less than the total number incarcerated during the festive season last year.The total includes not only those serving time but prisoners on remand waiting trial, both male and female inmates and young trainees.The bulk of Bermuda’s prison population is housed at the Westgate Correctional Facility, where there are 166 inmates, with another 65 male inmates currently detained at the Prison Farm, and another 22 women incarcerated at the Co-Ed facility with young teenaged boys.Acting Commissioner of Prisons Ms Keeva-Mae Joell-Benjamin released the figures to The Royal Gazette yesterday and confirmed there will be no visits or special events held in the Island’s prisons over the Christmas holiday.Services were held by a number of local religious groups in the holiday in addition to visits by family members, due primarily to budget cuts. A number of prison officers confirmed the issue of overtime was the primary reason for the modified version of the normal routine during the holiday period.As for the visits, Ms Joell-Benjamin said: “There will be no visits over the holiday period as all visits were held this week.”