THE CURRENT state of the Georgetown Prison has been likened to that of a “warzone”. Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry into the recent Georgetown Prison Riot, retired Justice James Patterson told the media on Wednesday.Justice Patterson’s statement followed a visit to the penitentiary on Tuesday by Commissioners. Government established a Commission of Inquiry into the three-day Georgetown Prison riot last week that resulted in the death of 17 inmates and injury of many others.
“We left there 7 o’clock last night and it wasn’t nice. What I saw seemed like a war zone that they are now getting back together. I saw two contending factions. One may be described by some as the wretched of the earth and another, as the oppressors. It is sad. We met prison officers who I don’t think, had sleep for three days” the Chairman stated.
Patterson along with Commissioners Dale Erskine, and Merle Mendonca visited the Prison facility on Tuesday and expressed much surprise at the conditions therein. Patterson said he is unsure of what the prison looked like prior to last week’s riots as previous visits to the penitentiary was approximately 30 years ago.
The three-man Commission will begin to take statements from five prisoners today at the Ministry of Public Service building Waterloo Street, said Justice Patterson who was quick to point out that no one would be shut out. He said the Commissioners would be making additional visits to the jail.
“I am encouraging them to give evidence. We are not shutting out anybody,” he assured. The Chairman emphasised that nothing would be done in secret. He said the hearings would be open to the public and the media but he noted that if there were cases where witnesses prefer to provide their evidence in-camera, accommodation would be made in that regard.
“If anybody wants to give a testimony in camera, let me get the proof and if the Commission so determines, so be it. We are not going to use that to let people make spurious allegations against anybody and hide under the cover of anonymity,” said Justice Patterson.
Over the years, the issue of overcrowding at the Georgetown Prison has been cause for worry. That, coupled with the living conditions of the inmates there was the subject of human rights discussions. The Camp Street facility currently accommodates 980 prisoners but the facility that is over 132 years’ old was built to accommodate only 600 inmates.
According to the Commissioners, the current ratio at the prison is 10 prison officers to 1000 prisoners. From all indication, there is a situation at the prison facility that demands attention but the Commission said it would examine all conditions of the prison system and submit its recommendations to government.
“When we put forward our recommendations, our job is finished. What they do with them is a matter for them,” Justice Patterson said, noting that it was not the role of the Commission to insist that government follows through on the recommendations of the Commission. He made it clear that he was only serving in the capacity of Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry and not an advisor.
Commissioner Erskine, a former Director of Prisons said the ratio of 10 prison officers to 1000 prisoners existed when he was in charge of the Prisons. He admitted that efforts were being made at the time of his tour of duty to remedy that situation. He was not in a position to elaborate on the efforts made at the time but said that “during the inquiry we’d be able to say much more about this.” In response to concerns raised over the presence of Erskine as a commissioner given that he served as Director of Prisons, Justice Patterson said “…you can’t somehow shut out people from saying anything about anybody. Now, I was there when he took an oath to be impartial and I expect him to do that. The other thing is the assumption that somebody because of an association will not be fair in his judgment is an oblique attack on the gentleman’s character. You have to come up with something for substantial.”

When asked about the time allotted for the completion of the Inquiry, Justice Patterson said it was too early to determine the longevity of it until “we see how many people want to testify but it doesn’t look like any mentioned time can stand. We start tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner Mendonca told the media that based on the observances at the prison on Tuesday the Commission was seeking for arrangements to be put in place for grief counseling for the affected inmates, officers and their families.
That she said was a “challenge” as there was a paucity of grief counselors in Guyana.
Terms of Reference
The Commission of Inquiry will investigate, examine and report on the causes, circumstances and conditions that led to the disturbances at the Georgetown Prison on the morning of March 3 which resulted in the death of the 17 inmates along with the subsequent disturbances at the said location.
The Commission will also inquire into the nature of all injuries sustained by the prisoners during the disturbances; determine whether the conduct of the staff of the Guyana Prisons Service who were on duty at the time of the incidents was in conformity with the Standard Operating Procedures of the Guyana Prison Service; determine whether the deaths of the 17 prisoners were as a result of negligence, abandonment of duty, disregard of instructions, inaction of the Prison Officers who were on duty on the night of the March 2 and morning of March 3.
The Commission is expected to make “comprehensive recommendations” to ensure the safety of the prisons. This will include the examination of the physical infrastructure of the prison, the existing security arrangements in respect to custody, management and control of prisoners, the appropriate treatment of prisoners in compliance with legal and other requirements and the prevention of a recurrence of such disturbances.
By its Terms of Reference (TOR) the three-man Commission must consider the views of stakeholders including the staff of the Prisons and their unions, members of the Judiciary, prisoners accommodated within the Georgetown Prisons, staff of the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Social Protection and any other stakeholders that are deemed appropriate.
“This Commission shall render its report, findings and recommendations to the Minister of Public Security by the 28th March, 2016 or such other date as the Minister of Public Security shall determine,” the TOR stated.