A story in Wednesday's paper incorrectly referred to Marvin Trott as Assistant Prison Commissioner. Mr. Trott is the Deputy Prison Commissioner. He was on vacation during a sit-out at Westgate Correctional Facility last week and was not involved. The Assistant Prisons Commissioner for Westgate is Randall Woolridge.

Westgate prisoners staged a six hour protest last week when a fellow inmate refused to go to the Prison Farm and was thrown into solitary confinement, The Royal Gazette has learned.

An inmate -- who asked to remain anonymous -- said yesterday that Westgate Correctional Facility and the Prison Farm were both very full due to the number of arrests made during Operation Cleansweep.

He claimed Assistant Prison Commissioner Marvin Trott tried to "force inmates against their will to go to the Prison Farm and one incident almost caused a prison riot''.

The man said an inmate serving a six-month sentence was told he had to go to the Prison Farm "or else he would be penalised by being sent to solitary confinement for 21 days and lose all of his privileges and visits with family''.

When the man refused to go, he was locked up. Once the inmates learned why he was being punished they took action.

"The inmates staged a sit-out and demanded that the Assistant Commissioner release him or the inmates won't get locked down -- period.

Prison sit-out "The sit-out lasted six hours into the evening hours until the Assistant Commissioner returned from home to Westgate to release him because the officers, including the chief officers, couldn't do anything about the sit-out,'' the source said.

Ministry of Health and Social Services permanent secretary Donald Scott confirmed yesterday that the sit-out had taken place when the inmate was put into "disciplinary segregation''.

He explained that this form of punishment was routine in these types of cases and pointed out that the man was designated to go to the Prison Farm.

Mr. Scott said he later agreed to be transferred and was released from segregation. This was when the sick-out ended.

Also yesterday, Health and Social Services Minister Clarence Terceira revealed that steps would be taken to relieve prison overcrowding.

He said there had been a continued increase in the number of male prisoners at Westgate and the Prison Farm in the wake of Operation Cleansweep.

Dr. Terceira said planned measures to deal with the overcrowding included: Giving early release for some categories of local inmates; Using the Police Service, instead of prison officers, to conduct all court appearances; Releasing and deporting all foreign nationals after they reach the half-way point of their sentences; Hiring temporary prison officers; and Seeking supplementary funding for video conferencing for court mentions.