Prison wardens in sick-out …fearful of aggressive, bold inmates
Seated from left: Col. Khemraj Persaud, Col. George Lewis (partially hidden), Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Basil Williams, Minister of State, Mr. Joe Harmon, President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Police Commissioner, Mr. Seelall Persaud, Minister of Public Security, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, GDF Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Mark Phillips and Major General (ret'd) Michael Atterly at the Ministry of the Presidency.
Seated from left: Col. Khemraj Persaud, Col. George Lewis (partially hidden), Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Basil Williams, Minister of State, Mr. Joe Harmon, President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Police Commissioner, Mr. Seelall Persaud, Minister of Public Security, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, GDF Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Mark Phillips and Major General (ret'd) Michael Atterly at the Ministry of the Presidency.

PRESIDENT David Granger late Thursday afternoon summoned an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee, amid rising tension at the Camp Street Prison after 13 out of 15 prison wardens reported sick for duty.Guyana Chronicle was told that the coordinated ‘sick out’ was sparked by reports of a planned prison break and that guns were being thrown over walls of the Camp Street penitentiary. This new development comes just over a month after 17 prisoners were killed when a deadly fire broke out at the jail. A Commission of Inquiry is currently underway to determine the cause of the riot and also to make recommendations for the strengthening of security measures at the correctional facility.

In a statement, the Ministry of the Presidency said that Granger convened the emergency meeting of the National Security Committee at the Ministry of the Presidency to discuss recent developments at the Camp Street prison, where only two out of the 15 prison officers scheduled for the day shift, reported for duty Thursday morning.

The Director of Prisons (ag), Mr. Carl Graham has since sought reinforcements from the Timehri and Lusignan Prisons and from the administration division at the Camp Street Prison in an effort to keep the situation under control.

According to the ministry, the committee was informed that since the deadly prison riot in early March, inmates have become bolder and much more aggressive; displaying weapons and acting menacingly towards prison officers. As such, the officers have become fearful to carry out their duties. This is suspected to be the reason behind 13 officers submitting seven-day sick leave certificates.

The committee was also informed that there has been an increase in cases of marijuana being thrown over the prison fences and wardens are afraid of being harmed by prisoners, who are under the influence of the drug. In light of this, President Granger has ordered that the outer cordons of the prison be extended to include D’urban, John and Bent Streets, which will be blocked off to the public, except for persons residing within those areas, as is done on Camp Street. Additionally, the Commander-in-Chief has directed the Guyana Police Force to assist prison officers in manning the Camp Street facility and the Guyana Defence Force to assist in guarding the outer cordons of its precincts.

Following the deaths of the inmates at the Camp Street Prison government had embarked on a programme to ease overcrowding at the facility by transferring some of the inmates to the Mazaruni Prison and other locations. President Granger himself, along with other officials had undertaken a fact-finding mission to Mazaruni. President Granger had also said that the visit formed part of a long-term strategic plan to ensure that the Guyana Prison Service fulfills its mandate. “Our presence here is not just a gut reaction,” the President said, as he alluded to the worst prison riot in the history of Guyana, which unfolded last week and resulted in the deaths of 17 inmates at the Georgetown Prison.

He added: “It is a plan to ensure that there is a long-term strategy. We are ensuring that the Guyana Prison Service fulfills its mandate. We have to build a system in which persons who enter this service as inmates would have the best opportunities for rehabilitation, and those who are incorrigible…would be prevented from bringing harm to society.”

 

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