Story by Ariana Gordon with photos from Delano Williams

A STATE of normalcy has returned to the Georgetown Prison following the intervention of top level government officials, which has quelled several days of unrest that have left seventeen prisoners dead and several others injured.The unrest began in the Capital Section of the prison on Wednesday after a number of prisoners on remand for murder and gun-related crimes were being relocated to another section of the Camp Street facility. On Friday, Government committed to address the concerns facing inmates located at the Camp Street jail. Third Vice President and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, and Minister of State Joseph Harmon met with approximately twelve prisoners at the Prison’s Sports Club, located opposite the penitentiary, to hear their problems and find solutions to them.

This meeting followed another round of rioting on Friday morning. During this phase, which began at about 06:30h, the inmates demanded improved conditions and requested to meet with Minister Ramjattan to air their concerns.

The prisoners have blamed the prison officers for the deaths of their fellow inmates, and made it clear that they were not attempting to escape. “We ain’t gonna get away…we ain’t gonna do duh, but dem banna kill dem boys in hay!” one prisoner remarked during the meeting with ministers Harmon and Ramjattan.

The Public Security Minister committed to meeting some of the basic needs of the prisoners, who alleged that they were subjected to inhumane treatment. After listening to the complaints, Ramjattan said there may very well be credibility in some of the allegations, but government has established a Commission of Inquiry to investigate all allegations levelled against prison officers.

“They had quite a lot of grievances; a lot of grievances with the conditions of the prisons, some of the officers of the prison, lengthy detention periods, they are not having trials, certain magistrates and judges. Some of them have a different story as to what caused the entire incident to be so heightened to the extent that it caused deaths and so on,” Ramjattan told reporters.

The Minister asserted that meeting and listening to the concerns of the prisoners does not demonstrate a weakness on the part of the administration, as it may be viewed by some. He noted that it is important for the senior hierarchy of government to understand the plight of those incarcerated.

“Absolutely not! It is meeting them to meet their demands,” exclaimed Ramjattan in response to a question about showing weakness.

He asserted that the meeting was useful. “It is a useful thing talking to them, hearing their versions, too, at our level. At some times, indeed, they could be speaking to the prison authorities and the prison authorities listening to them but not acting. We need, at our level, to meet and talk to them. It is very useful information we got this morning. They seem all to be very credible in what they are saying. Now that we are in a better position, we are going to act on these things,” the Minister added.

Immediate attention
Ramjattan accepted that some of the concerns raised by the prisoners can be addressed immediately, and he said government will move to ensure that changes are made.

The prisoners spoke to the poor quality of food; inability to speak with relatives, as insufficient time is provided by prison officers; and inhumane treatment. “Those matters that can be dealt with administratively or at the ministerial level we are going to deal with them almost forthwith… Those that are going to be dealt with more technically — getting evidence and all of that — will be dealt with by the commission of inquiry,” said the Minister of Public Security.

He committed to a thorough investigation being done, and named a three-man board of inquiry to effect this. Heading that board is former Justice James Patterson, and included on that board is Merle Mendonca of the Guyana Human Rights Association and former Director of Prisons, Dale Erskine.

“That board of inquiry will start as soon as possible to hear the complaints of the prisoners, and I want as many prisoners to give the evidence of what is happening and the systems in place for the purpose of remedying that which they are complaining about,” Minister Ramjattan has said.

Even as many issues are coming to the fore, the Minister noted that government has to find the necessary financial resources to ensure that the situation at the Camp Street Prison is resolved.

“They (inmates) have promised that they are going to calm down now that they have seen two senior members of government, because that is what they wanted,” Minister Ramjattan revealed; but even as the situation returned to a state of normalcy following the meeting, the Minister said the inmates made a request to meet with the media periodically.

When asked whether prison officers are likely to be removed or transferred, the Public Security Minister could only state, “It could very well be all of those, though the allegations have been made by some of the senior officers here, we would want to hear from the officers too.”

Gentleman’s agreement
Minister Harmon, for his part, has said a gentleman’s agreement has been reached between government and the prisoners. Harmon told reporters just outside the Camp Street Prison that government will do its best to ensure that “prisoners live and work in humane conditions that should make their lives a bit more comfortable.”

He said that while the “Prison is not a five star hotel, certainly, as a government, we need to ensure there are minimum standards. We will work to ensure this.”

The Minister of State described the meeting with the prisoners as an important step in the way forward. “We believe that it was a very useful engagement. It will benefit the entire security sector,

not just the prisons,” he added.

Holding the peace
As they exited the meeting with Ministers Ramjattan and Harmon, the prisoners committed to “holding the peace”, so that government can act upon the issues raised.

“They said they will look into it and ensure who responsible pay!” one prisoner shouted while being escorted back to his cell.

“We want justice! We can’t be satisfied until we see progress…dem got to keep dem word,” another prisoner said.

The shackled prisoners have held strong that they are being ill-treated by prison officers and are living under inhumane conditions.

“Dem got to fix dem thing… dem thing ain’t right…dem don’t treat we right,” a prisoner stated.

Setting fire
Prior to the ministers’ visit, the prisoners had set fire to a wooden building at the Camp Street location. That fire was almost immediately extinguished. Not satisfied, some of them managed to make their way into the yard and start a bit of ruckus there. Many of the prisoners who were seen walking along the side of one of the buildings within the prison facility surrendered to law enforcement officials, but others continued to hurl objects at prison officers in a bid to have their voices heard.

The escalation of activities at the Camp Street Prison followed the seizure of a number of mobile devices, narcotics and other illegal items from inmates on Wednesday night. Friday’s unrest also saw seven inmates and six prison officers being rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital for medical treatment following a standoff at the facility.

The standoff between the inmates and prison officers occurred despite heightened security in and around the facility. In an effort to take control of the angry inmates, law enforcement officers were forced to use teargas and pellets to restrain the prisoners.

Schools and roads closed
As news about the situation at the Georgetown Prison spread, the Ministry of Education (MoE) advised that schools in the area of the prison be closed. Parents were asked to immediately collect their children from the schools. Several of the city streets were also closed as a result of chaos at the prison, and persons were asked to stay away from the area.

A less vocal prisoner told reporters as he passed out of the Georgetown Prison’s Sports Club to return to the penitentiary that they will give government a chance to act. “They say they will change certain things and we guh wait and see.”

Many of the prisoners who met with the two ministers have accused the prison officers of being responsible for the deaths of the seventeen inmates on Thursday. According to the inmates, the prison officers had a hand to play in the deaths of the inmates who set fire to mattresses at the jail on Wednesday night.