Every effort will be made to bring change to the lives of many during their period of time

THE Ministry of Legal Affairs is currently consulting in relation to the use of alternative sentencing which, according to Director of Prisons (ag), Gladwin Samuels, will be very beneficial to the prison service since a number of prisoners who are currently incarcerated would have the opportunity to be otherwise sentenced to community service or, whatever form the ministry would choose.

In an exclusive interview with the Pepperpot Magazine, Samuels stated, “With persons who commit certain crimes, there is a likelihood of being given an ‘alternative’ – instead of those persons having to go to Camp Street, Mazaruni or Lusignan- but if they feel that they may stand the chance of serving a period of community task, then they may not want to go wasting the court’s time, but may make a faster decision to plead guilty. This would also lead to the court having much more time to deal with other matters that may require adjudication for imprisonment,” he said.

COMMUNITY SERVICE
Samuels said that technology has evolved to the extent that there is no longer the heavy dependency on the human element, to supervise each and every person that is placed on community service. He noted that there are various forms of electronic monitoring that can be used, stating that there is sufficient and adequate supply of Internet in Guyana that can be used as supporting mechanism for the various forms of electronic monitoring.

He added that the introduction of technology to monitor prisoners on community service is something that can be looked at, but this means that the laws would have to be revised so as to enable adequate use of the technologies that are available.

PAROLE BOARD
The director explained that the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) is also likely to be moving from a penal institution to one of correction; which would see the roles of the organisation becoming much wider and the institution organisation being responsible for a whole host of other things, as it relates to prisoners.

He said that currently, as soon as a prisoner’s period of imprisonment ends the Guyana Prison Service’s relationship with that person cuts off as well. This will eventually change, he assured.

“I am very passionate to see the system move to where we can have halfway houses so that persons do not have to do all of their time locked up here. I am happy that our parole board seems to be functioning much more effectively,” he said. “There are several persons who are being placed on parole; several persons who are actually living up to the conditions of the parole and not having to be sent back to prison. So I believe that our move to correction is a positive one for the prison service

He said that in order to support this system there is a lot of work that has to be done in terms of infrastructure, which will provide safe housing for prisoners and which would also cater for the various training needs of persons.

“We have been talking for years as it relates to moving towards having the training that we do be accredited, so that someone who is leaving the prison would not only leave with a certificate but would leave with a certificate that is recognised. Many times it is not only educational training, but I believe that there is a lot of room for persons who acquire skills,” he noted.

According to Samuels, because of the length of time, some people spend in prison there is much scope for them to use their time productively. For example, people who spend long periods in prison have sufficient time to learn skills through various training programmes that would serve to make them quite skillful in meaningful areas – whether it is carpentry, joinery, masonry, electrical installation, plumbing, welding, culinary skills or others.

“All of these areas we try to focus on; we are even trying to focus on information technology so that persons who are going out there can be more prepared to deal with jobs that are available,” he assured.

RELATIVES AND FRIENDS
“I want to say to family members and friends of persons who are in prison – you may have a responsibility to help us to ensure that persons who are in our custody do the right things and focus on being rehabilitated,” he said.

“Many times family members support the bad habits of persons who are in prison because it is these persons that are contacted, whether illegally or through legitimate phone calls or illegal phone calls by these prisoners and they would then supply credit; they would then supply drugs; they could then supply other forms of contrabands to get to these people. However, if they truly want to see a change in the offender’s life then they have to come on board and help us ensure that those persons are properly rehabilitated.”

ENABLING VULNERABILITY
He pointed out that relatives or friends of prisoners need to understand that anytime they provide any form of contraband for a prisoner, they are increasing the level of risk to which the prisoner (male or female) is exposed. He explained that the prisoner who may not have the physical and or mental strength to deal with the ‘bad boys’, may be subjected to various forms of harassment and even have what was given to them taken away. This also exposes the person to the risk of being open to the harm of being beaten; bullied and all of these things, he said.

“You might be telling yourself that you are going to add some comfort to them; that you are going to have some chat, some text and all of these things, but the other prisoners who are there looking on and cannot get access to what is given may take steps to get it,” Mr. Samuels posited.

He stated that he recently had a discussion with a team as it related to the re-establishment of what is called the KEY. The prison would normally do a magazine or a booklet called the KEY, which has not been published for a while. Efforts are now being made to resuscitate that. It can be used as a means of informing persons as it relates to things that are acceptable or not acceptable in the prison environment, he concluded.