SCORES of prisoners have, in recent days, been transferred from the Camp Street Prison in Georgetown to other locations across the country in a bid to ease congestion at the Georgetown penitentiary.The 132-year-old Camp Street Prison, occupying an entire city block, was built to house 600 inmates but, for years now, has been dogged by overcrowding. At the time of the recent riot, which claimed the lives of 17 inmates, the prison population there stood at 984.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Monday, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan confirmed the transfer of the prisoners, but declined to divulge the types of offenders transferred, citing security reasons.

“Yes, I am confirming the transfer…it will reduce overcrowding at the Camp Street facility…it is part of our reconfiguration of the prison system,” he said.

Earlier this month, President David Granger made a fact-finding tour of the Mazaruni Prison in Region Seven, and spoke about prison reform. The President said the Mazaruni Prison forms part of a long-term strategic plan to ensure that the Guyana Prison Service fulfills its mandate.

“It is a plan to ensure 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.”

The transfer of the Camp Street prisoners has been seen as a positive move by the prison authorities; and from reports, the inmates have been transferred to the Mazaruni, New Amsterdam, Lusignan and Timehri prisons.

While not attaching a specific number to the prisoners transferred, Minister Ramjattan said it is “about 80 to 90 of them”.

While the transfer has been effected, a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) has been launched into the Camp Street Prison riot, to determine its cause and to prevent a recurrence. The CoI is in progress, but the issue of how prisoners still managed to have cellphones in their possession after the authorities had conducted a raid and seized these items remains a mystery.

Overcrowding
The overcrowding at the Camp St Prison, coupled with a number of incidents that made national headlines, has, in recent years, been a cause of concern. Among the notable events are the following: In July 2010, inmates set alight a mattress in the Brick Cell block at the facility; in December 2010, the police and army had to rush to the Georgetown Prisons following reports of a break-out by inmates; in April, 2013, officials at the Georgetown Prison had to take swift action after remanded prisoner Colin Jones had set his mattress on fire; in March 2015, inmates started a fire in a cell on the new capital wing, but the Guyana Fire Service responded quickly and was able to prevent it from spreading to other sections of the prison; and in September 2015, pandemonium broke out at the Camp Street Prison after a fight between cellmates ended with one prisoner being chopped several times about his body.

These ugly happenings took a turn for the worst about two weeks ago when the prisoners lit mattresses and staged a three-day riot after prison officials reportedly took away cellphones and marijuana from their possession. Over the years, there have been calls for some Camp Street inmates to be transferred to reduce overcrowding, mainly to avoid a crisis situation.