Guyana prisons not bursting at their seams, says minister
|
| Published on Saturday, August 25, 2007 |
Email To Friend Print Version |
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA): Guyana has not reached the stage where the prisons are bursting at their seams despite signs of overcrowding emerging in the prisons.
 |
| Guyana's Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee |
“As more people are arrested they will pass through the Court. At the end of that process they may end-up in jail. So the numbers (persons) in the jail begin to increase and the jail begins to burst at their seams. I don’t think we have arrived at that stage in Guyana and hopefully not. Clearly they are signs of overcrowding emerging,” Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee said.
The Administration has dedicated its efforts to addressing the issue of overcrowding in several areas.
“We deal with the overcrowding by using a very creative way at the five prison locations around the country and by ensuring there are programmes while they are in prison to keep them active. So that when they come out of prison they have a skill,” he explained.
Government has been placing major emphasis on reforming prisoners to ensure they are re-integrated into society to make a meaningful contribution to the development of the country.
Every prisoner costs the State approximately $19,000 per month and there are 19,000 prisoners.
Rohee said government is also looking at ways to have alternative sentencing.
“For example to give people a sentence to do community service; and there are a number of things we are looking at now and hopefully over the next couple of years we would be able to address that problem in a much more effective way,” Rohee said.
Government will be undertaking a literacy programme for prisoners in addition to training in various skills, craft and agriculture.
Some of the programmes being projected this year to continue developing the capabilities of prisons are: effective training of ranks to deal with the multi-dimensional challenges in the prison environment, developing security capabilities at each prison location and reducing dietary expenditure through self-sufficiency.
Religious and recreational activities within the prison environment are continuing features.
A Prisoner Rehabilitation Programme in 2006-2007 at the Camp Street Prison Chapel was launched to provide training in masonry, carpentry, tailoring, music, shoe-making, barbering and electrical technology and these are being facilitated through government agencies in collaboration with Non-Governmental Organisations. | | | | Reads : 59 |
|
