Months after the overcrowding issue in the country’s prisons, more specifically the
The myriad problems at the Camp Street Prison gained widespread attention earlier this year
Camp Street Prison, was widely highlighted, plans are afoot to establish support to the Criminal Justice System consultancy services project.
This project has a mandate that seeks to address institutional issues that affect the prison population in Guyana. The Government, through its Legal Affairs Ministry on Sunday advertised the position of Project Manager who will oversee the execution and management of project-related activities.
The Criminal Justice System project also has the undertaking to reduce judicial system backlogs, while there will also be evidence gathering, training for judges, magistrates and prosecutors, in addition to sentencing guidelines and writing of decisions.
Additionally, ten recording systems for the Georgetown High Court and Magistrates Courts, Essequibo High Court and Berbice High Court will be procured while there will also be requisite training for use of the equipment.
This justice system project, supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), comes against the backdrop of the recommendations presented in the report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the deadly Camp Street Prison riot which left 17 inmates dead after a March 3 fire at the penitentiary.
Overcrowding
The CoI Report which was compiled by Commission Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson and Commissioners Dale Erskine and Merle Mendonca, was handed over to President David Granger on June 1 and highlighted that the Camp Street Prison housed an estimated 84 per cent over its maximum accommodation capacity.
The report had also pointed out that reducing numbers in prisons to manageable levels is the single most important priority for establishing safe, humane and purposeful prisons.
The myriad of problems associated with the Camp Street Prison gained wide attention when a three-day riot (March 2-4, 2016) resulted in mass casualties.
