– some Lusignan prisoners transferred, trouble makers kept in pasture

THERE will be no Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the recent fire at the Georgetown Prison until all the escapees are caught, according to Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan.
He told the Guyana Chronicle that the main focus is to capture the four escapees, Stafrei Alexander, Cobena Stephens aka “OJ”, Mark Royden Williams and Uree Varswyk, who are still on the run.
“We will not start or convene a CoI until these prisoners are caught,” said Ramjattan. He explained, however, that there will be additional opportunities to examine the responses of the disciplined forces during the investigation.

The fire and riot on July 9, caused the destruction of most of the facilities at the prison, leaving approximately 1000 prisoners to share a space with the inmates at the Lusignan prison, East Coast Demerara. And, according to the Minister, the issue of having the prisoners housed properly is also of paramount importance to the administration.
Officials of the Ministry and other stakeholders have so far managed to control the congestion at Lusignan, by transferring some of the prisoners to other prisons and shifting those who were housed in a pasture to a newly built tarmacked facility next to the pasture.
Minister Ramjattan said they have transferred over 400 prisoners to the new facility, while over 100 prisoners who are “bad-behaved” will remain in the pasture.
“We are keeping them there to ensure that they do not contaminate the new facility with their ignorance…we are however doing some remedial (work) to the pasture by getting some sand and more permanent tents in there to make the area a bit more pleasant,” he said.
In addition, the Minister pointed out that work on the rehabilitation of the Georgetown Prison is moving slowly because they need to acquire more money to repair the administrative and kitchen area among others.
When it is completed, he said, it will be able to house 250 prisoners. Another facility is also being developed and when it is completed it will be able to house another 100-odd prisoners. In the meantime, prisoners who are remanded will be sent to the fenced area at the Lusignan Prison. A number of prisoners who had almost reached the time for their release have been sent home or granted bail so as to reduce the congestion at the prisons.
It was outlined that the objectives of the current plan are to ensure security of the prisoners, security of the prisons, to recapture the other four escapees and to restore order in the prisons.