During the Ministry of Home Affairs Annual Review and Projections Press Conference today, the Permanent Secretary emphasized that the Guyana Prison Service is planning to restructure its operations to guarantee the rehabilitation of the prisoners, thereby facilitating their reintegration into society. He posited that “we want to evolve into more of a correctional facility than just a prison system”. Mention was also made of the Fresh Start Initiative which will aid in the rehabilitation process.
Mr. Ally went on to say that the agriculture initiative enables the Guyana Prison Service to fulfill the president’s directive by supplying half of the food it eats. He said that even if the program is only offering twenty percent (20%), the inmates still profit since they are learning a skill that will make them employable when they are released.
The Director of Prison Mr. Nicklon Elliot stated that the Guyana Prison Service like the other Agencies of the Ministry of Home Affairs is going through a “series of transformation” that will benefit both staff and inmates.
According to Mr. Elliot, in 2023 a number of vocational schools and Rehabilitative Behavioral Training programs were established. One such program was anger management workshops, in which 1,400 prisoners participated. New Cell Blocks have also been finished at the New Amsterdam Prison, and Phase Two (2) of the Mazaruni Prison project will begin soon.
Some of the obstacles faced by the Guyana Prison Service were addressed, including personnel conspiring with convicts and their families, as well as the smuggling of prohibited items like scissors and cellphones into prisons. To counter this phenomenon, a walk-through scanner as well as sporadic stops and searches will be carried out in the areas surrounding the prison.
The Minister of Home Affairs Hon Robeson Benn called for the support of the citizens of the general public, institutions, and businesses