A total of 284 inmates are now displaced following the fire which completely demolished the Lusignan Prison.
The fire erupted on Sunday, following a raid to confiscate illegal items. This inferno comes just days after the third anniversary of the fire which completely destroyed the Camp Street Prison.
Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels, during a press conference today, indicated that 156 prisoners are at the holding bay following the Lusignan fire.
He noted that 27 of the displaced prisoners were transferred to the Camp Street penitentiary, 51 to Timehri Jail while another 50 were in transit to the Mazaruni Prison.
According to Samuels, the entire issue started with the discovery of contraband on one prisoner. This included two parcels of cannabis, a container with alcohol and a cell phone.
At that time, another incident was also happening simultaneously whereby a prisoner was behaving ‘hostile’.
This led to an escalated situation, whereby prisoners were asking for the contraband to be returned. After this was not done, the inmates proceeded to break the building and set it alight.
An assessment done after the flames were extinguished showed that only a section of the administrative building remain undamaged.
Throughout the episode, a number of prisoners attempted to escape but their plans were thwarted through collaboration of the disciplined services.
The Prison Director said 11 persons sustained burns – two of which were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital and subsequently released. He also revealed that eight inmates were identified as the masterminds behind the fire.
The Prison Service’s capacity to hold inmates are significantly influenced by the incomplete Mazaruni Prison rehabilitation, as well as works to restore the Georgetown Penitentiary.
