alleged physical abuse and negligence at the Co-ed Facility.

The report is the result of several months of investigation by the Treatment of Offenders Board.

The investigation began after two Jamaicans living here told The Royal Gazette two Jamaican sisters were physically and verbally abused by prison officers.

The allegations stem from when the sisters -- Marlene St. John, 22, and Theresa St. John, 18, were on remand at the Co-ed Facility for importing $140,000 worth of cocaine.

They have since been sentenced to seven and five years in prison, respectively -- with the recommendation that they be given whatever counselling they need.

Last month, Mrs. Sonia Lee Johnson and Mrs. Hazel Christopher said they feared that the sisters, who have attempted suicide, could end up dead.

They spoke of reports of a male prison officer pinning Theresa against a wall with an iron bed days after she suffered a miscarriage.

Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Christopher, who Mr. Edness described as "credible'' people, also claimed that a week later a female officer is alleged to have stepped on Theresa's stomach in the presence of other officers.

They said the bruises on her body days later confirmed her story.

And Theresa was admitted to St. Brendan's Hospital after it was claimed that she drank bleach and was found unconscious on a shower floor of the Co-ed Facility in St. George's.

This, Mrs. Johnson stressed, happened despite an order by Prisons Commissioner Mr. Edward Dyer that Theresa should be closely monitored and checked on every 15 minutes.

"Clearly, this shows gross acts of negligence on the part of some officers,'' she wrote in a letter dated October 6 to Mr. Dyer.

However, both Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Christopher made it clear that they were not blaming Mr. Dyer nor all prison officers.

"These girls are still alive because there are some officers who care about them,'' Mrs. Johnson said.

"We believe the abuse is not indicative of the entire prison staff.'' And Mr. Edness agreed, saying the allegations were not typical of staff there.

He asked the Treatment of Offenders Board and Mr. Dyer to investigate the allegations promptly.

If the allegations were found to be true, he added, prison officers would be disciplined "depending on the nature of the abuse''.

Yesterday, Mr. Edness confirmed that he had the report.

But he said he was not prepared to comment on it before the New Year.