THE disciplined services as the name implies, are very important collective of strategic parts that together are charged with the grave responsibility of protecting the nation from harm. Comprising of the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Police Force, The Guyana Prison Service, and the Guyana Fire Service, these institutions are about men and women, sworn to the loyalty of their country, but primarily to perform functions in keeping with the particular service institution with which they are associated.
The Guyana Prison Service has the responsibility of ensuring the safe-keeping of those who are entrusted into its custody for infringements of the law, both of minor and serious breaches.
Without any debate, this is a most critical undertaking as it is about having to administrate on a daily basis, round the clock, a type of person whose conduct has been deemed not the type that makes him/her fit to remain within the lanes of society. And since we know why, it must not detain us here; except that the role of those within this particular institution – the prison/warder/officer will be looked at.
Officers appointed to this service are demanded to be disciplined, of high integrity and, above all, honesty, among the many attributes that are necessary for such function. Most important is the fact that they are also part of the core correctional process of which rehabilitation is key for the inmate or prisoner, towards his/her post-custody life.
Unfortunately, The Guyana Prison Service which was once noted for its very efficient service of administration over those in its custody has fallen to levels, several rungs.
For the last two decades, what started as the intermittent incident of a prison warden, being intercepted while attempting to smuggle contraband into the nation’s penal system, has now assumed alarming proportions. The most recent case was that of a warden, caught with almost a dozen smart phones, and a large quantity of marijuana at the country’s maximum security prison at Mazaruni, which reveals the pervasiveness of the problem.
This incident which became common at what used to be the Camp Street prison, has been replicated at other penal centres, and explains why, despite frequent security searches, even larger quantities of such goods are being found.
Contraband is a category of articles that inmates are forbidden to have because of their status. Any legitimate item allowed is a privilege, and not a right. Certainly, marijuana and cocaine, and the cell phone would be top of the list that would definitely be denied.
It is said that since a prison environment is known to be highly stressed, inmates do not need such stimulants for calming of anxieties, whatever such may be. The same goes for inmates, who endeavour to communicate with relatives and others and therefore feel the need to have cell phones.
We reiterate that these are prohibited items, but this situation continues to be exploited by both wardens and officers, who have been making a bright dollar, by selling phones to inmates. There are also reported schemes where both officer and warden, often combine to force inmates to sell narcotics on their behalf. This is the current reality of the Guyana Prison Service, and is just a microcosm of the total challenges that have emerged, particularly within the last decade.
Because of the popularity of marijuana as a cheap substance, there is a ready market within our prison system. In fact, it is known that drug use is a common fact in the world’s prison system, even though it creates future problems within system.
Since prison wardens and officers are tasked with being part of the correctional regime, they are directly hindering that process when they offer narcotic substances to inmates. First of all, the addicts will continue to be addicts, rather than being rehabilitated, thus overcoming their problem.
Additionally, there will also be the definite case of new drug converts, who will return to society with a habit that usually spell more problems for them and the society, rather than solutions. Many of these persons are most likely to return to prison at some time in the future.
These are rogue elements that are continuously creating future problems for the very institution which they serve. Like the drug sellers throughout our society, these wardens/officers are adding to society’s social ills by acts which are illegal and criminal in nature.
But the Prison Service, much to its credit, should be commended for its proactive system of some staff being vigilant, even when any of their ranks are involved. This has facilitated many a warden being prosecuted and made to serve prison terms. However it augurs well in the efforts to combat this serious breach that threatens to undermine the national penal system.
We recommend that the time has come when a new calibre of prison officers should be considered for recruitment, if there is going to be any meaning to prison reform efforts. By a new calibre, we mean professionals, such as social workers, sociologists, criminal psychologists, and criminologists to better manage our prisons.