Prison Governor awarded for his reforms

Prison Governor Bill Millar has been awarded the Minister for Home Affairs’ Commendation in recognition of his achievements in reforming La Moye Prison.

Prison Governor Bill Millar has been awarded the Minister for Home Affairs’ Commendation in recognition of his achievements in reforming La Moye Prison.

Mr Millar, who was appointed governor in March 2008, transformed the prison from one that received highly critical inspections in 2001 and 2005 to one that, when re-inspected in 2013, was described by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons as “an institution that has been transformed, both physically and in terms of improved practice, from the prison we inspected eight years ago”.

At the award ceremony, Assistant Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Lyndon Farnham, described how poor cell blocks had been replaced; prisoners had better opportunities to acquire new skills and education; foreign prisoners could be repatriated to serve their sentence in their own country; and internal security and rehabilitation had been enhanced. 

“Through his personal drive and commitment, Bill has been instrumental in increasing standards across the board,” Senator Farnham said. “During his period of tenure, he has put new impetus into the improvements started by his predecessor; so much so that the regime now in place and level of staff excellence can be held up as exemplars to other prison services.”

As part of the changes, officers have had a new pay and officer grading structure, more efficient attendance patterns, and the opportunity to acquire professional qualifications.

At the award ceremony, in addition to Mr Millar’s Minister for Home Affairs’ Commendation, 12 prison officers received vocational qualifications and a further two were presented with the Governor’s Letter of Appreciation.

The Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Ian Le Marquand, said: “These awards are highly relevant to the States Reform Programme.

“We used to have a single grade system for all prison officers regardless of their role. The reformed grade system means that we now employ the right people for the right jobs at the right pay, and we are rewarding people for their skills and responsibility. That is a fundamental part of the reform programme and I am delighted that it has been recognised.”