THE Port of Spain Prison will be decommissioned and prisoners transferred to the Maximum Security Prison (MSP) in Arouca, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander said.

The announcement came during a post-cabinet media briefing on September 4.

"The Port of Spain Prison was built in 1757 at a time when the prisons were referred to as a 'holding pen' long before light bulbs were even invented. Today, after 268 years later, the United National Congress government, led by the Honourable Prime Minister Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar has taken the historical decision to decommission the Port of Spain Prison."