In light of recent reports that Government has engaged the judicial branch on reforms for sentencing policy, President David Granger has observed that too many young offenders are incarcerated.
The Head of State who was at the handing-over of the Camp Street Prison riot Commission of Inquiry report disclosed that the Administration had discussions with the judiciary on sentencing policies to reduce the rising number of inmates.
He also stated that no President would be happy to see large numbers of young people spend so much of their lives incarcerated.
It was explained that some individuals start off at the Onderneeming facility, spend time at Camp Street Prison and end up at the Mazaruni Prison.
Meanwhile, the Head of State opined that the main prisons in Guyana; the Camp Street, Mazaruni and New Amsterdam structures, being over a century old, were not designed to cater for the current huge prison population and suggested that the facilities at Lusignan and Timehri were built to assist the main prisons.
The President recalled his visit to the Mazaruni Prison earlier this year with Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Public Security Minister Kemraj Ramjattan where they sought to explore how the conditions of prison life could be improved.
“We looked at improving the production of food; providing facilities to encourage inmates to alter their behaviour so that they don’t have to return into that system,” Granger noted, explaining that his team looked into rehabilitation while on their visit.
The Head of State noted further that Government will now direct its efforts towards ensuring the country becomes a safer place and expressed hope that fewer children, men and women will end up in the country’s prisons.
It was only last week that the President told the media that in efforts to reduce the overcrowding in the prisons, the Government could review custodial sentencing for persons in possession of small amounts of marijuana. He however cautioned that while the matter came up for discussions, no decisions were taken.
The president is right.
Let me add that too many young people are engaged in thuggery and thievery.
Sad.
GRANGER DANGER! This man has no clue what he is doing. How can the ministers walk around prison to prison telling people to behave! Is this the biggest comedy I have ever read or this actually happened? Instead of this man setting up rehab facilities, make the young people learn and educate them selves, create a panel that will determine that these individuals will not repeat – NOOO wait, if he does this, there will be no money left for them to full their pockets! This is the kind of development progress Guyana is making….JOKES!
If the young ppl refrain from criminal activities the obviously they would not be in prison.The bottom line is you do the crime you ust do the time–is this man going to release these scums to commit more crime –what a moron.I guess he is pissed of the ethnic make up of the prisoners–