· 29 Retrofitted Containers Established for Virtual Legal Proceedings
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed severe restraint on the movement and gathering of persons in every endeavor. To this end, the Government of Guyana has empowered the Judiciary, the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service to uniquely collaborate to enhance the speedy hearings, trials and disposal of cases in the Criminal Justice System. The stakeholders, with the support of the GoG, have been able to utilise a total of 29 retrofitted containers at the Lusignan, New Amsterdam, Timehri and Camp Street Prisons to host virtual court proceedings. The principal objective of the engagement is to establish the required physical and technical infrastructure for criminal litigation to take place on virtual platforms. The initiative also obviated the need for prisoners to be transported physically out of the prisons and taken to the various Courts for their cases.
· Boxing Gear for Guyana Prison Service
The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) aided the development of sport within the prison system by donating a quantity of boxing gear to the Guyana Prison Service.
Among the items donated were boxing gloves, headgear and punching bags.
· National Library makes donation to Guyana Prison Service
Aimed at the boosting of rehabilitation opportunities for inmates, the National Library handed over a quantity of books to the Guyana Prison Service. Delivering brief remarks, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn said that the donation would aid in the development and rehabilitation of inmates. The libraries at both the Georgetown and Lusignan Prisons were destroyed by fires.
- GPS receives tools and equipment worth $11M from CSSP
The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) has received a timely boost to carry out rehabilitative efforts for inmates. The contribution was funded by the continued support of the Inter-American Development Bank through the locally established, Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP).
The Prison Service received approximately GY$11 million worth of vocational tools on October 8, 2021, which will be dedicated to training both vocational and technical skills to inmates during their time of incarceration.
· Prisons service begins agricultural revamp
Even with the incorporation of modern technology, such as hydroponics in farming, soil is likely to remain a key media for crop production. To this end, and to boost crop production on its farms, the Guyana Prison Service, through its Agricultural Strategic Plan 2021, has teamed up with Partners of the Americas to conduct soil testing at various farm stations across the country.
The assessments were done by Agricultural and Environmental Microbiologist, Dr. William Zimmerman and Partners of the Americas Farmer to Farmer Field Officer, Quincy Scotland.
The initiative forms part of the measures to revamp the agricultural sector of the Prisons Service in order to increase food production and to generate income to supplement government’s budgetary allocation.
· NAREI makes donation to Prison Farms at New Amsterdam and Lusignan
The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) as part of its social responsibility outreach has donated a variety of fruits, vegetables and several long-term crops to the New Amsterdam and Lusignan Prisons farms.
The donation is timely, since farming is being used, not only as a major tool in the rehabilitation of inmates, but is also a means of increasing food production and generating income to supplement government’s budgetary allocation.
· Human Services Ministry donates spectacles to GPS
The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, through the Ministry’s eyewear initiative has donated nine tested spectacles to the Guyana Prison Service (GPS).
The spectacles will benefit nine inmates. Eye Care Guyana had provided the free eye testing for the nine inmates.
· GPS takes part of wreath laying ceremony
The Guyana Prison Service joined veterans, government and other officials and civilian citizens in observing Remembrance Day, as they paid tributes to those who served in the First and Second World Wars and especially to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their very lives.
The traditional Wreath-Laying ceremony was held at the Georgetown Cenotaph at the junction of Main and Church Streets
- School for Lusignan inmates
With the aim of exposing inmates to further education as well as training programmes, the Government will embark on a range of new projects, including the construction of a school at the Lusignan Prison.
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn said the school is part of a programme titled “A Fresh Start” which will focus on prisoners gaining the necessary skills for their reintegration into society
- New infirmary for Lusignan Prison
The construction of an infirmary at the Lusignan Prison is expected to commence shortly.
This project is just a few of the plethora of programmes, policies and initiatives identified by the
Government in the 2021 budget under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
· Animal husbandry high on GPS agenda
In order to increase food production to supplement government’s budgetary allocation, the Guyana Prison Service has embarked on a large-scale animal husbandry.
Currently, animal husbandry is being done at the New Amsterdam, Mazaruni and Lusignan prisons locations respectively.
The initiative forms part of the measures to revamp the agricultural sector of the Prisons Service.
· British MP calls for reform in the justice system
Following visits to the Camp Street, Lusignan and Mazaruni Prisons, British Member of Parliament, David Lammy believes the nation needs to reconsider policies that contribute to a huge spike in the number of young people behind bars.
Lammy, who is an English politician serving as Shadow Foreign Secretary since 2021 and as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tottenham since 2000, is also of the opinion that more attention must be given to prisons in the global South; such as Guyana, since from his observation young offenders will become “the next generation” of criminals unless the justice system is reformed
- GPS introduces family bonding during Christmas Season
Spending the holidays in prison can be a lonely, miserable time and for inmates if granted one wish on Christmas Day, would simply want to be with their loved ones enjoying a meal, giving and receiving gifts, and having a fun time together. However, for the vast majority of incarcerated men and women, this is not going to happen this year, except for a chosen few who were fortunate to see their relatives during this festive time through the Guyana Prison Service (GPS), ‘Family Bonding Visits’ initiative. The visits occurred during the first half of December where family members were privileged to have a meal with their loved ones and share a few minutes with them. The visits brightened the season for those inmates.
- 861 Inmates graduate from ground-breaking courses
Some eight hundred and sixty-one (861) inmates who are currently being housed at the Mazaruni, New Amsterdam, Camp Street and Timehri Prisons graduated this past week (Wednesday 12 January 2022) after successfully completing a number of “ground-breaking” training courses offered at the institutions. The programmes aim to prepare inmates for life outside of the prison and to assist with their reintegration into society.
The inmates had the opportunity to participate in a number of different training areas with the following courses having been offered; entrepreneurship, anger management, carpentry and joinery, family reconciliation, tailoring, culinary arts, art and craft, cosmetology, barbering, crops husbandry and Veterinary Sciences. The courses were extended to all prisoners including those on remand and also those who were convicted with several high-profile and special watch inmates taking the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves with the courses.
