Convicted murderer Troy Shorter has moved from maximum to medium security at the new prison because he has earned that privilege.

Prisons Commissioner Mr. Edward Dyer told The Royal Gazette Shorter -- who murdered Hayward's supermarket owner Mr. Roger Redman in July 1986 and escaped from Casemates prison five years later -- has qualified for medium security based on a new prison assignment system.

Inmates at the new Westgate Correctional Facility were assigned to medium or maximum security based on an objective assessment of their participation in various programmes, their behaviour, and their security risk.

"Just because someone escapes at sometime does not mean you can hold that against him forever,'' Mr. Dyer said when asked how a prisoner with Shorter's background could be moved to the medium security section at Westgate.

Mr. Dyer said each inmate was evaluated before being moved to a less secure area.

With a total of 185 inmates, he said Westgate had mixture of persons requiring anywhere from minimum to maximum security.

However, he noted that those under minimum security were usually moved to the less restricted Prison Farm in St. George's as soon as possible.

"All assignments at the prison are a result of individual assessments,'' Mr.

Dyer explained. "We subject everybody to a an instrument which measures risks.

"Everyone who comes in is assessed generally, including educational, sociological, psychological, and psychiatrical (assessments). And at the end of the day, they get a kind of profile on where the individual is and attempt as much as is humanly possible to write a treatment programme for each person.

"Traditionally we just did that generically, we'll stick you here and you there, and I don't believe that works.

"To some extent the new assignment system is working well.'' Under medium security, Shorter has the right to take educational courses such as English, Maths, and computers, vocational courses such as small engine repair, carpentry, and introduction to small business, and recreational activities such as drama, art, and sculpture.

He also has access to Westgate's gym.

It was through such privileges that Shorter was believed to have been able to obtain master keys to the prison during a recent mini riot at Westgate, a prison officer -- who wished to remain anonymous -- told The Royal Gazette .

The prison officer, who was one of more than 20 who took part in a sick out last Friday and Saturday, said one of the issues which officers were protesting was bad decision-making by senior officials which was putting others at risk.

Under-staffing and a decrease in educational programmes for inmates were also listed as some of the officers' concerns since Westgate opened earlier this year, the officer said, adding that they were not being addressed.

But Mr. Dyer, who was scheduled to meet with staff about the sick out, yesterday refused to be drawn on the incident.

He said an investigation into how Shorter was able to obtain the master keys was underway.

However, in an earlier interview on Westgate, Mr. Dyer said security was "generally working well''.

"But,'' he said, "whenever you have humans involved something is going to happen. Plus when you have sophisticated electronics things do happen. But generally, the security at Westgate is very good. And the design of the prison is very open, so there are not too many things you can do at Westgate which will not be seen. This was not the case at Casemates.''