By Thomas Manglona

Senator Wil Castro put forth an ambitious plan to address overpopulation and lack of funding of Guam's prisons and jails.

"I don't think too many people will lose sleep if you let them know that we are getting into a partnership with other nation states and the CNMI to build a facility in a place that has ample property and is further away from the general population," he said.

With Guam's jails and prisons overpopulated by 40%, Sen. Castro says we are in a crisis that takes an international community to come to a solution. Under current conditions, inmates are not properly classified or housed based on the crime committed making what he describes as an unsafe and problematic condition. While there is precedent for joint-programs across jurisdictions, the specific logistics and responsibilities for this proposal would be decided by potential participating governments.

"You've got to look at the projected growth in terms of the resident population of those who are incarcerated," Castro said. "You've got to look at temporary housing if it's in a remote island in any one of the American jurisdictions. Let's assume it is here, you know, we have to identify that parcel of property."

Guam's steady increase of over 600 pre-trial detainees and remanded prisoners indicates complex issues surrounding the sustainability of the Department of Corrections. He says DOC officials he spoke with seem to be open to the new modern prison facility.

The senator estimates that the investment for facilities on or off-island can be over $50 million with possible federal funds. In regular talks with elected officials in the CNMI, Castro explains that collaboration with other Pacific Nations is promising. But what about programs that prevent crime, rehabilitate, and reintegrate offenders?

"I am for prevention and I am for reintegration of inmates, those who have atoned for their sins, who have reformed and changed and want to be contributing members of society," he said. "But when are you going to start that conversation and when you start that conversation and implement the program when is that return on investment?"

Castro says he is striving for a more immediate remedy informed by research and local subject matter experts and admits that other communities might not have the same political will to collaborate.