FORMER Chairman of the Guyana Prison Sentence Management Board, Captain Gerald Gouveia has viewed the deadly riot at the Camp Street Prison as extremely unfortunate.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Thursday, Gouveia said overcrowding has been an issue at the prison for some time and called on the authorities to address the situation as soon as possible.
Overcrowding at the prison poses a number of challenges for prison authorities. These include hostility among prisoners, due to cramped space; low warden-to-prisoner ratio;

poor sanitary and hygiene condition; and a greater possibility of a prison break.

Gouveia, who is a member of the Prison Sentence Management Board, noted that the authorities have been working assiduously to improve the general atmosphere at the prison. The Board has been developing strategies to prepare prisoners for reintegration into society after they have served their time.

The Captain told this publication that he was surprised at the development at the Camp Street facility and called on the authorities to investigate the riot as soon as possible.

On Thursday, 17 bodies were discovered inside the remand section of the prison following a fire, which inmates started earlier in the day. The prisoners, the day before, had set fire to the facility several times, but the blaze was contained by firefighters who responded promptly to the situation.

This publication was able to confirm that prisoner Rayon Paddy died at the Georgetown Public Hospital after suffering from severe burns and five other prisoners have been hospitalised.

Yesterday a large crowd gathered outside the prison, including relatives of inmates who were observed crying, asking about the condition of the prisoners.

On Wednesday night, the prisoners set ablaze their mattresses at the penitentiary during the protest, clamouring for their freedom and better living conditions. The prisoners were heard shouting, “We want we freedom”.

Official reports have since disclosed that the prisoners started the protest following a surprise raid of their cells by prison officers, who found cell phones, marijuana and other prohibited items.

Meanwhile, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in a statement expressed shock at the horror at Camp Street Prison and used the opportunity to ask the Government to launch a full investigation into the incident.

“A Board of Inquiry must be established immediately to investigate the circumstances that led to this sorry state of affairs at the Georgetown Prisons. We will have much more to say on this matter as the situation unfolds,” the Opposition party said in a brief statement.