Parliament approves bill to give Anguilla’s female prison officers equal powers
A long-standing omission in the Prison Act is being corrected after Anguilla’s lawmakers approved amendments to give female officers equal… The post Parliament approves bill to give Anguilla’s female prison officers equal powers appeared first on Anguilla Focus | News.
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A long-standing omission in the Prison Act is being corrected after Anguilla’s lawmakers approved amendments to give female officers equal powers and protections.
Attorney General Rachel Spearing KC moved the bill for Prison (Amendment) Act, 2026 during a sitting of the Anguilla House of Assembly on 14 July.
It removes any reference to ‘male’ officers from the law and validates previous actions carried out by female prison officers.
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On presenting the bill, Spearing said its aim is to make sure that all prison officers, both male and female, have equal powers, authority, protection and privileges.
She added that it “provides quality and safeguards for how our prison operates, and the public officers who undertake this very important function for the public”.
Standing in support of the bill, Premier Cora Richardson Hodge pointed to the omission in the Prison Act, which references male officers but not female officers.
“That omission would, one would argue, give rise to an argument as to the appropriateness of any actions taken by a female officer,” she said.
“And so this act, this amendment, is very simple in its nature, and it seeks to validate the actions of female prison officers and liken them to actions done undertaken by male officers.”
The bill passed its first and second readings, cleared the committee stage without amendment, and was passed at the third reading.
The post Parliament approves bill to give Anguilla’s female prison officers equal powers appeared first on Anguilla Focus | News.
