Sports can create positive change for inmates – Norton

– donates gym equipment to Camp St Prison
After the catastrophic fire earlier this year at the Camp Street prison, the Republican Gym housed in the compound was razed to the ground and all the boxing equipment reduced to rubble.
However, Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Sport, Dr George Norton through his Ministry made a timely donation to the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) on Thursday at the GPS Sports Bar on Camp and Bent Streets.
Speaking at the simple handing over ceremony, the Minister noted that the reform and success of some prisoners through boxing is remarkable. He also maintained that it is “good that the government can take this approach to persons incarcerated in the prison system. I say this because we have to give the opportunity to those persons to adapt more healthy lifestyles and to make better use of their lives. I congratulate the prison service for their recent graduation ceremony where several inmates were successful. It is the rehabilitation, the reorientation and the changes in values that is important.”

It is through boxing and sports Minister Norton maintained that the changes in values and discipline can be effected.
“We [Ministry of Social Cohesion] will not be left behind, we know there are many sportsmen out there who are inmates and we would be happy if we could help them to continue in their respective discipline. However there is something special about boxing, it is in boxing that Guyana landed their only Olympic medal, albeit bronze” he declared.
Meanwhile Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels pointed out that the donation is timely as the Republican Gym earlier this year dethroned the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Gym at the national championships and it would be a travesty for the gym to “go down the drain”, he also bemoaned the fact that Jason “AK 47” Barker was unable to represent Guyana at the Caribbean Championships in Antigua due to him not being able to train after the fire.
“I would like to thank Minister Norton and his team for items that have been donated today (Thursday), I also want to urge the public and private sector to help us. We’ve seen change through boxing as sometimes you have a bad inmate, we put them in the ring and over time we see wholesale changes” Samuels revealed.
The items that were donated included weight lifting benches, bowflex machines, boxing gloves, protective helmets and guards as well as dumbells. (Michelangelo Jacobus)