HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — As the inmate population is expected to reach 900 within the next year, the need for a new facility has become more important than ever.
Fred Bordallo, since he was appointed the Department of Corrections director in August and confirmed earlier this month, has been met with challenges such as escapes, contraband and injured persons, all of which have been a result of overcrowding.
This past week alone there was an escape and an attempted escape. The escape occurred on Christmas Eve when Erson Reselap was being transported to Guam Memorial Hospital. DOC was assisted by Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center staff when Reselap got away but was apprehended hours later.
The other incident happened Monday evening when an inmate tried to escape but was stopped as he was climbing the fence.
Bordallo has, in his short time so far as the leader of the prison, made steps toward addressing the issues by looking at transferring inmates to Saipan and possibly implementing an emergency release program. He is also expecting 30 new officers in the coming weeks with a new recruit cycle.
However, since his term as director began, Bordallo has maintained the prison is in a “dangerous situation,” which he explained to senators during an oversight hearing held Friday morning.
New facility
DOC’s oversight chair Sen. Chris Barnett, in light of the recent escapes, sought answers about more of what could be done to mitigate the issues arising as a result of the overcrowding at DOC, which Barnett admitted is not a new issue.
In response DOC Maj. Antone Aguon, who has been at the agency since 1994, agreed overcrowding has been an issue since he joined the department, and the only way to solve it is by getting a new facility.
“At the end of the day, the only way to solve this overcrowding is we’ve got to get a new facility,” Aguon said. “We can try all these ankle bracelets, early parole, send them over to Saipan – send them over there but, at the end of the day, it’s all going to come back.”
Aguon said a new building in the prison hasn’t been added since 1999, and since then, a “Band-Aid approach has been used” before discussing the challenges inherently faced by officers when they join DOC.
“The people that come into our prison have several problems from anger management, drug or alcohol, behavioral and we’re trying to find ways to make sure they’re safe. Every day it’s a musical chair for the officers to try to figure out where do we put these guys so they don’t hurt each other,” Aguon said.
“We’re just kicking the can down the street, but somewhere down the line we’re going to have to pick it up, and by the time we start picking them up there’s a lot more cans,” Aguon added.
In October 2021, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero approved partial financing to begin up to $80 million worth of construction for a new prison facility, which would be enough to complete the first two phases of DOC’s master plan, Post files state.
Aguon explained at the oversight hearing that getting to Phase 1 is still in progress as a request for proposal was submitted to the Department of Public Works, and it is still being reviewed by the Office of the Attorney General.
With Phase 1 alone the prison could make significant improvements, according to Aguon.
“We’ll have a better camera system, our food delivery, training rooms. We’re probably looking at about 400-some beds,” Aguon said.
Fred Bordallo, Department of Corrections director, center, speaks during an oversight hearing at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023.
