THOUGH the Guyana prison system still battles chronic problems, several strides have been made to implement recommendations coming out of the Commission of Inquiry report that was done some two years ago.

That report was ordered following the March 3, 2016 fire at the Camp Street prison that claimed the lives of some 17 inmates. Chief among the focus of the report, was the need for a reduction in overcrowding of the prison systems, which undermines all other components of the system.

Another focal point of note was the need for quality, incorruptible personnel.
Following the 2016 and subsequent 2017 fires, that had flattened the Georgetown Prison, and saw several prisoners escaping, the government budgeted some $30.7 billion this year, to support capital and recurrent projects and programmes. Of that, $1.5 billion was expected to be expended on improving the service’s infrastructure.

President David Granger, in a recent interview, noted that measures are being taken to alleviate the situation.

“The prison service has chronic problems. There were days where prisoners would get on the roofs, and items would be thrown over the walls, at one stage part of Mazaruni was burnt down, and more recently, July 9, Camp Street Prison was burnt down,” Granger said.

“These are deep-seated problems that require long-term solutions… at the heart of the problem are of course the quality of manpower; and I believe the Minister of Public Security is working on… and recruiting superior type of persons that would not be so susceptible to bribery and corruption.”

Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels said that indeed steps are being taken to vet more rigorously, persons coming into the system, including having the recruits being subjected to marijuana testing, and public announcements.

“The reality of the situation is that there is clearly a breakdown in terms of morale and ethical standards in general society and we are recruiting persons from there, so we are actually recruiting the product of our society. It is not the general product of what Guyanese are, but it is what we have to work with and that is a challenge,” Samuels said.

Nonetheless, measures are being taken to avoid the recruitment of corrupt individuals.
“There’s compulsory marijuana testing, medical, even publication of potential recruits in the newspaper to allow persons out there to report on any negative information they may have on that person. Those are new methods to help,” Samuels explained.

Several other recommendations from the CoI report have also been implemented or are being pursued.

“Those within our control and budgetary reach are being addressed,” Samuels noted.
On the question of dealing with the overcrowding situation, several infrastructural projects have already begun, with the Mazaruni expansion still underway and the rebuilding of the Georgetown Camp Street prison set to go to tender shortly.

The installation of certain other technology is also being examined; the request for a full- body scanner recently went to tender, while steps are currently being made to have modern cellphone jammers installed.

Measures to reduce the number of prisoners, however, have had less positive results, as there continues to be a healthy supply of prisoners coming into the system. Alternatives such as smaller bail for certain matters have proven difficult, as many persons charged are without the resources to post bail.

“Prisoners are coming to prison every day. The overcrowding situation has not changed, the police is [sic] more effective in apprehending criminals and we still have the issue being placed on small bail and persons being unable to pay that amount; so the [prison] population before the fire and now is relatively the same,” Samuels said.

Samuels suggested that other measures such as electronic monitoring and community service could still be put in place, but those would require legislative input.