…12 new houses for warders under construction

AT the commencement of 2018, the Mazaruni Prison will receive electricity 24 hours a day along with the installation of solar panels to complement the energy supply that will power 12 new houses for warders and their families that are under construction at the prison facility.

This is according to Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels who said currently there are 452 inmates between the Mazaruni and Sibley Hall Prisons. A site at the Mazaruni Prison was identified for the construction of a new wing which is expected to house 400 prisoners. In budget 2018, the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) received approximately $1.5B to address the expansion and rehabilitation of the prison infrastructure. In addition, work on the construction of a new Georgetown Prison is likely to begin in the new year.

The prison riot in July of this year had virtually flattened the Camp Street location, and had forced the government to undertake a comprehensive examination of the security sector. Samuels said that there is a proposal at the level of Cabinet for construction to take place at the Camp Street Prison, which will be used as a remand facility. “Those are the two main projects the money will be used for.”

Over $150M has also been allocated to purchase surveillance equipment, body scanners, and beds, among other items. Provisions have been made for the strengthening of the Prison Service capacity for case management, as well as rehabilitation and reintegration.
Samuels said that the initial area for the construction of the new building at Mazaruni has been cleared and several contractors who expressed interest have already visited the site and tenders were submitted.

The director noted that the tenders were already reviewed and the process is at the tender board. Further, he said only recently over 50 prisoners were transferred to the Mazaruni prison since there was available space.

New houses
Meanwhile, Samuels disclosed that there are 12 new houses under construction within the prison compound which are family quarters that will cater for the proposed expansion of the Mazaruni Prison. “Most people had expressed concerns about being transferred, because they have to leave their families behind; and taking that into consideration, the need for appropriate housing for persons who would have to leave the comfort of their homes was considered, which led to the initial construction of 12 houses,” the director said.

He said that eight additional houses will be built in 2018 and there will be a continued budget for the general plan for development of the Mazaruni Prison. Adding that the Mazaruni Prison is basically at the centre of the jungle, Mr. Samuels said and noting that in order to improve security, efforts will be made to clear a one-mile radius around the prison, so as to increase visibility as the prison moves towards self-sufficiency in terms of agriculture.

“It means that we would have a larger number of prisoners deployed for agriculture on a daily basis. Despite the usual security screening for persons being dispatched, we still need to ensure we are proactive in terms of breach of security that may occur,” he said.
At the Mazaruni Prison, the location is powered by generators and he disclosed that the prison will also be installing solar panels to complement its energy supply.

“There was a time when electricity was only for two to four hours, which gradually increased to six hours, then from 18:00hrs to 06:00hrs. However, in keeping with the expansion and development at Mazaruni Prison, it is recognised that 24 hours electricity is critical.

He pointed to the training of inmates, which he said needs to be done in the day, since proper skills-training cannot be done without the necessary power tools. He said with the installation of a new generator at the location, new utility poles were installed and the compound will be rewired with the use of the existing generator.