Lusignan Prison to get additional holding areas to practice social distancing among inmates

Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn on Saturday visited the Lusignan Prison, located on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), where he had a firsthand look at the Holding Bay which was destroyed by fire a few weeks ago. The Minister stressed the importance of social distancing as one of the main measures to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

During his visit, Benn was briefed by the Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels and Officer in Charge of the Holding Bay, Senior Superintendent of Prisons (ag) Deoraj Gyandat with respect to the population in the prison, security challenges, COVID-19 initiatives and others.
Deemed as a pressing issue, several facilities will be constructed so that social distancing can be practiced and more so, better supervision and management of the prisoners can be ensured.
The Prison Directorate and engineers were also tasked with detailing the development plans for the Lusignan Prison.
The Minister also visited the kitchen area and the livestock sections where he was told that more can be achieved if the requests for additional lands and other resources are approved. Benn expressed concerns that the conditions he observed were very unsatisfactory.

He committed to working with all concerned to bring measurable improvements, not only to Lusignan but also to the Georgetown, Mazaruni, New Amsterdam, and Timehri Prisons on a timely basis.
This will be pursued to ensure better public safety, a more secure environment for the prison population, improved rehabilitation, and safer and less stressful working conditions for the prison officers and staff.
He was also brought up to date on the current status for court hearings at the various levels – Magisterial, High Court and Court of Appeal.
Inmates made some representations on accommodations, court hearings, legal assistance, food, familial visits, recreational diversions, and counselling services.
The Minister was accompanied by the Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels; Assistant Director of Prisons, Kevin Pilgrim, and other Senior Officers of the Guyana Prison Service. Engineers from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Guyana Prison Service, as well as other staff from the Ministry, comprised the team.
Only last month, Prison Director Gladwin Samuels noted that overcrowding now poses a severe challenge, taking into account the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines following the recent fire that devastated sections of the Lusignan Prison.
Samuels told Guyana Times that the area where the prisoners are currently kept is overcrowded, although 27 inmates were sent to the Camp Street penitentiary, 51 to Timehri Prison, and another 50 to the Mazaruni Prison.
Samuels had indicated that a total of 286 prisoners were displaced, of which 156 are still at the Holding Bay. The last fire occurred on July 12, 2020, after a single search of an inmate, which led to the discovery of contraband. This included two parcels of cannabis, a juice bottle containing alcohol, and a cell phone.
At that time, another incident was also occurring simultaneously, whereby a prisoner was behaving “hostile.” He was assaulted by a prison officer and taken out to the prison’s yard, where another assault followed.
This escalated the situation whereby the inmates started a riot by breaking sections of the building and setting it alight.
As a result of the fire, 11 persons were injured – two of which were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to receive further medical attention. No one escaped during the commotion.
As soon as the fire started, the Joint Services were immediately dispatched to the area to bring the situation under control.
Following the 2017 deadly fire at the Camp Street, Georgetown Prison, and 2017 prison break, the current Government had moved a motion in Parliament to have the APNU/AFC Government accept responsibility for tragic events at the prison.
This was after the former Government, and more so, former Public Security Minister Ramjattan was not forthcoming with details relating to the fire, during which four prisoners escaped. The motion was subsequently defeated, but there was much discussion also on prison reform. However, not much has been done since in the area of reform.