Prison Service pushes rehabilitation over punishment

The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) says it is moving away from the idea of prisons as purely punitive institutions, highlighting a shift toward rehabilitation and reintegration programmes that officials believe will transform the system into a true correctional service. Speaking on the latest edition of Prison in Focus, a monthly programme produced by the service, the Officer-in-Charge [OIC] of Lusignan Prison, Deoraj Gyandat, stressed that the country is at a turning point in the way it views incarceration.

“Sent to prison is the punishment, not sent to prison for punishment,” he declared. “We are transitioning to a correctional service.”
The programme pointed to investments in vocational workshops, a new training wing, and spaces designed for skills-building as examples of this new approach. These additions are part of broader plans to help inmates return to society with the ability to work, support families, and reduce the likelihood of re-offending.
“The real focus is rehabilitation, not just incarceration,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director of Prisons, Kevin Pilgrim, also stressed the importance of maintaining family ties, noting that reconciliation initiatives and structured visits form part of the correctional push.
“Family plays a critical role…we teach them the importance of maintaining that family unit,” an administrator said, adding that support networks outside the prison walls are essential to long-term reintegration.
The transition is not only about inmates. The service has opened new training classrooms, designed to reorient prison officers themselves toward correctional values rather than penal control. According to officials, these spaces are aimed at “building a correctional culture” among staff, ensuring that officers are equipped with the skills to mentor, train, and support rehabilitation. The push comes at a time when the prison system continues to face challenges, including overcrowding and contraband. But administrators insist that the billions spent on modernisation since 2020 have laid the groundwork for a shift that is about more than bricks and mortar.
“Those buildings were built specifically in keeping with all the international best practices,” Pilgrim noted, underscoring that rehabilitation requires both physical facilities and a new mindset. Speaking during a recent episode of the ‘Safeguarding Our Nation’ programme, Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, stated that prisoners are now enrolled in accredited training programmes in areas such as carpentry, joinery, and masonry, among others.
These programmes are delivered by qualified facilitators, equipping inmates with practical skills for reintegration into society. Taking it a step further, the prison director underscored that the prison is currently reviewing its laws, standing orders, and strategic plans to further modernise its service.
“We are adapting the Nelson Mandela role, which focuses on rehabilitation, humane conditions for prisoners, allowing them to have access to legal services and health care services within the prison,” Elliot explained.
He also said that the goal is to ensure the prison service operates with international human rights standards, while its systems are in keeping with modern-day correctional best practices.