The new Phoenix Garden has been unveiled at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary, but one inmate facing a charge of second-degree murder used the opportunity to draw attention to the conditions at the facility.
Sheldon Hibbs is accused in the 2021 death of 68-year-old Michael King near Waterford Valley High in St. John’s.
Sheldon Hibbs
He is a participant in the Phoenix Garden Project, which uses gardening as a type of therapy for inmates.
During the official opening of their greenhouse and meditation garden, Hibbs used the opportunity to speak one-on-one with Justice Minister John Hogan, and later approached reporters to be interviewed about the conditions at the prison.
(Justice Minister John Hogan and Sheldon Hibbs at HMP Phoenix Garden.)
He says the facility is not designed with mental health in mind, nor is it meant for long-term stays. He says most of the inmates’ voices are not being heard.
Hibbs uses health care as an example. He says people could be on the wait list to see a psychiatrist, that appointment will get cancelled, and then they are bumped down on the list due to people with more urgent issues needing to be seen.
He says if given the opportunity to become better, and if given the proper attention, people would make better choices.
