Need for review of Prison Service’s SOPs after recent failures – Director

Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot has stressed the need to review the current Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) practised in prisons, which contributed towards some failures of recent.
He made these remarks while delivering remarks to officers at the Director of Prisons’ quarterly muster and general inspection of officers at the Prison Headquarters on Monday.

Under the theme, “Promoting Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Prisoners”, Elliot stated that the Prison Service has a duty to give inmates the skills necessary to make it easier for them to reintegrate into society.
He further explained that an aim of the Prison Service is to assist the inmates in realising their errors and improving themselves as people.
A few days ago, the Director visited the Mazaruni Prison where he observed the operations in keeping with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Elliot said the aim was to further understand how the team is operating, first-hand, and at the same time improving communication between the Prison Director, officers and inmates, and also to have better-informed decision-making on the ground.
It marks a few weeks since now deceased, convicted mass murderer Mark Royden Durant called “Smallie” executed a daring escape from the said penitentiary with the assistance of prison officers and outsiders.
Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn reminded officers of the Guyana Prison Service of the important role they play in maintaining law and order, adding that a balance must be maintained between security and humanity.
“We must remind ourselves of the mission of the Guyana Prison Service which is to ensure that the prisoners you keep remain in custody and that there are no breakouts and things of that nature, maintaining order, control, discipline and a safe environment for yourself and prisoners is important because when you do that, you are maintaining a safer environment for the entire country, and when you do that, there are benefits … it has very far-reaching effects,” the Minister said.
Acknowledging the number of resources available, the Minister encouraged the Prison Officers to play a meaningful role in helping to reform prisoners and prepare them for return to their communities as positive contributors to the development of society.
Acting Deputy Director of Prisons and Head of the Staff Training Department, Kevin Pilgrim emphasised the necessity for careful selection and thorough training, which are key for the crucial public service as prison staff.
To date, some 309 Prison Officers have completed 65 courses during the first half of 2023. The ranks were trained by internal and external facilitators, and among the completed courses were: Prison Management, Human Rights and Supervisory Management.
Pilgrim said: “Based on the current budgetary allocations for training, same has been utilised to ensure that staff are exposed to not only institutional training but at the technical level so that they can offer more support and guidance to prisoners.”
Additionally, 250 ranks have been identified for further training for the second half of the year.

Agriculture
Meanwhile, the Prison Service continues to record successes in other avenues. With agriculture being one of the main rehabilitation programmes offered by the GPS, inmates of the Mazaruni Prison last weekend harvested a quantity of vegetables and fruits from the prison farm.
A total 245 pounds of eggplant was harvested along with a quantity of carambola. The latter will be preserved for the Christmas holidays.
Elliot noted that farming for the first half of this year was very productive. Farming has been undertaken at the New Amsterdam, Mazaruni, Lusignan and Timehri penitentiaries, with the efforts geared at sustainably supplying the prison populations with produce and poultry supplies.