The Guyana Government is considering the permanent closure of the Georgetown Prison, which is located on Camp Street, in the heart of the capital city.
This was revealed by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference on Thursday.
A massive fire which was started by inmates had destroyed the Camp Street penitentiary in July 2017, which was holding nearly 1000 prisoners at the time. A section of the facility has been reconstructed, and is currently housing approximately 293 prisoners, both remanded and convicted.
VP Jagdeo has told reporters that Government is moving towards shutting down the prison facility, However, he noted that no formal decision has been made as yet.
“The idea is to concentrate all of our activities there. I don’t know if we’ll shut it down totally as yet but the idea is that soon most of the prisoners would be out of there. So, we’ve not made a formal decision as yet but it seems as though it’s heading that way,” he related.
According to the Vice President, this move is being considered given the encumbrance the prison facility is posing to surrounding residents and businesses.
“I know that the locking down the road [and streets surrounding the prison] has affected a lot of the businesses around the area. They complain a lot that when you lock off the road it’s affecting their businesses; the people complain to us all the time that their business ventures are being affected,” Jagdeo noted.
Back in July 2017, a massive fire at the city penitentiary completely destroyed and flattened wooden structures in the prison compound. That fire resulted in a riot at the facility during which five inmates escaped and one prison officer was killed.
That incident had followed another fire the previous year. In March 2016, some 17 prisoners were burnt to death at the Camp Street facility after inmates had set several fires in their holding cell in protest of the conditions of the prisons.
Since the Camp Street Prison was rehabilitated, there were several other similar incidents at the city penitentiary with two reported in 2020 alone.
However, the Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Prisons Service, Rajiv Bisnauth, told Guyana Times that with expansion works ongoing at the Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, and Mazaruni, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) Prisons, there would no longer be need for the Camp Street facility.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo
Only last month, it was reported that overcrowding at prisons across Guyana would be significantly reduced with the completion of expansion works at existing penitentiaries, which would accommodate hundreds of inmates.
Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot had disclosed that Phase One of the Mazaruni Prison Expansion has been completed, and will house 220 prisoners; while Phase Two is ongoing, and will be completed by the end of the year to house another 150 inmates.
Meanwhile, at the Lusignan Prison, the construction of three holding buildings has been completed, and over 900 prisoners would be accommodated, while another three structures will be completed by the end of this year. In addition, a new facility will be constructed for female prisoners at Lusignan, resulting in 80 inmates being housed.
Motion sensor devices and a security fence were also installed at the Lusignan penitentiary, and an infirmary annex at the facility has led to improved healthcare services for inmates at the East Coast Demerara penitentiary.
In Budget 2023, some $2.2 billion of the Guyana Prisons Services’ $5.5 billion budget is allocated to advance prisons being constructed at Mazaruni and Lusignan, and to commence work for the reconstruction of New Amsterdam Prison.
The Guyana Government’s Overall Reform and Modernisation Programme for the Guyana Prison Service targets the transformation of the Prison Service from a penal to a correctional service and promotes an environment wherein custodial safety is assured, and inmates are rehabilitated and successfully reintegrated into society.
