The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) is working to expand its self-enhancement programmes to give convicts a second chance to make something of themselves during their incarceration and to prepare them for life after prison, according to Prisons Director (ag) Gladwin Samuels.
In addition to ongoing skills training programmes for both male and female prisoners, efforts are being made to give prisoners equal access to the Caribbean Secondary Entrance Certificate (CSEC) examinations. The GPS is also focusing on anger management and other types of behavioural modification.
Prisoners at the facilities at New Amsterdam, Mazaruni, Lusignan and Timehri are all exposed to some sort of academic or vocational skills training (currently nothing is being offered at the Georgetown Prison, following a devastating fire in July) and Samuels said that for this year hundreds have benefitted.
Apart from 85 who were