would have tennis courts for prisoner recreation. No tennis courts are planned.

The completion of Bermuda's new $14 million prison has been postponed for a month because of problems with its hi-tech security system.

New Minister of Works and Engineering the Hon. Leonard Gibbons confirmed the hold-up. The prison is expected to make the Country's penal reform system a world leader.

But Mr. Gibbons was still in the dark about what had caused the failure to have the state-of-the-art electronics system up and running.

Security is to be centrally controlled from a riot-proof area where doors can be electronically locked. All doors in each of the areas, depending on the risk associated with the inmates, will be locked from that point but they can also be operated manually in certain cases.

The whole prison and its walls will be scanned by 15 security cameras which can pan, tilt, zoom and turn 360 degrees in search of potential difficulties.

In a fire, the central computer works out an escape route for inmates which keeps them away from the fire and ensures they remain secure.

Prison officers have already been training in the new buildings and were hoping to have the inmates in them fairly quickly.

Mr. Gibbons confirmed the hand-over has now been postponed until the end of November.

He said: "It appears that there is a delay in the electronic security system.

It is all highly technical and I am not sure of the full extent of the problem at the moment.

"I visited the site the other day and the bricks and mortar side has all been completed.

"I expect the hand-over date to be a month later than planned but it has always been a moving target.'' Mr. Gibbons said he was impressed on his tour of the new prison. He said: "A great deal of the training has already been done, but you have to remember that it is different to Casemates.

"The new prison is a correctional facility, where they will be trying to correct people's behaviour. Casemates was simply a prison.

"Everything is completed apart from this electronic security and surveillance system. It will be pretty impressive when it is finished.'' Other countries have shown an interest in the security system and the way the prison is aiming to reform offenders rather than just locking them up.

In August, former Minister the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto said Casemates and the new prison were like "Noah's Ark and a nuclear submarine''.

It will house 206 inmates from remand prisoners to high risk prisoners like murderers and rapists.

It will offer many offenders an opportunity to learn professions they can use in Bermuda before they re-enter society. These include computers and lawnmower and outboard motor repair.