“More stringent systems” in place at Lusignan Prison to keep out illicit items

As prisoners take up accommodation in the new Lusignan Prison facilities on the East Coast of Demerara, a slew of measures has been taken to ensure that illicit substances are kept out, especially those that cause smoke.
Officer-in-Charge of the Lusignan penitentiary, Deoraj Gyandat explained that the facility and cells are now equipped with alarms that are triggered by the presence of smoke.
“The building is designed with a fire suppression system so in the event of a fire, we could activate that. Additionally, there are smoke detectors in each of the cell respectively. In the event of a prisoner smoking, that would go off and it would also send off an alarm in the control room where the officers are,” he shared.
As a result, there are additional mechanisms to prevent an instance of prisoners smoking, thus preventing any triggers to the new system.
“We have put more stringent systems in place because prisoners will always seek to have stuff to smoke. If they want to get stuff to smoke, they would have to get lighters. We have put more systems in place because the alarms would go off.”
The building is reinforced concrete and well-secured. Persons in the towers are monitored both day and night for any suspicious activities.
This week, 689 incarcerated individuals were successfully relocated from the holding bay to the new Lusignan corrections facilities – a move that followed the completion of the three new state-of-the-art prisons.
Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot said the holding bay facility will now be remodelled into a trade-shop setting to encourage reintegration. In this light, he called on stakeholders to support these initiatives, whether from the private sector or other organisations.
“Two trade shops will be built. Work will commence this week. A contract would have already been signed and this will see prisoners being exposed to various types of vocational skills training programmes such as tailoring, carpentry, joinery and auto mechanics. We’re calling on the private sector and all other non-governmental organisations to join us in the quest of promoting rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners,” Elliot told the media.
Back in 2020, pandemonium broke out at the Lusignan penitentiary after a fire was reportedly set in one of the holding areas by protesting inmates. This was after a team was dispatched to probe the discovery of narcotics.