Guyana’s custodial and correctional facilities are being upgraded to ensure inmates are housed in safe and improved living conditions and so far, the construction of three facilities at the Lusignan Prison along the East Coast Demerara has been completed.
Currently, 680 inmates are being accommodated in the new state-of-the-art $1.2 billion Lusignan correctional facility and works on Lots Four, Five, and Six are to be completed soon.
Some 500 inmates will be accommodated in the remaining three facilities.
Director of Prisons (ag) Nicklon Elliot during a recent interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) explained the aim of transforming the Lusignan Prison.
“Our overall aim is to centralise the prison at Lusignan so we could have maximum supervision and more control over the day’s operation. Work is ongoing at the female prison at Lusignan, so the intention is for us to relocate those female inmates to Lusignan in a more modernised, comfortable, and humane environment for them,” he stated.
Additionally, phase one works at the Mazaruni Prison is completed and the facility is currently housing 220 inmates. It is a modernised facility with appropriate accommodation and recreational facilities for inmates.
“Phase two is just about 70 per cent complete and upon completion, I would say by December of this year, we will see another 200 persons being housed in that facility,” the prisons director said.
Also, construction at the New Amsterdam Prison will commence by year-end as the project is currently in its procurement stage.
Some $2.2 billion has been budgeted in 2023 to advance construction at Mazaruni and Lusignan and to commence work for the reconstruction of the New Amsterdam Prison.
This indicates the administration’s commitment to ensuring inmates are housed in safe and improved living conditions.
Over $5 billion was allocated to the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) to further support its transformation from a penal to a correctional service that promotes an environment where custodial safety is assured, and inmates are rehabilitated and successfully reintegrated into society. (DPI)
