The pre-fabricated steel cells meant to accommodate an additional 180 prisoners at the Camp Street Prison, are already on-site to be erected, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan said.
Speaking to the Department of Public Information (DPI), the minister related that the cells will be arranged into three blocks, able to accommodate 180 prisoners.
The arrangement is one of the solutions identified to release the strain on the penitentiaries caused by overcrowding, which has been significantly exacerbated since the 2016 and 2017 prison fires at the Camp Street jail. The DPI release said that the new cells will address the current overcrowding at prisons across the country, more specifically at the Lusignan Prison, which currently houses over 500 prisoners.
While Minister Ramjattan acknowledged that the setup does not subscribe to international best practices, he noted that government is doing everything to address the overcrowding issue.
Moreover, in addition to the cells that are being added at the city prison, the Mazaruni Prison is also being expanded to house an additional 400 prisoners. “During a recent visit to the construction site, it was disclosed by the project manager, Iain Peebles, of the Trinidadian firm Kee-Chanona, that phase one of is about 40 per cent completed and will be finished by the end of October of this year. Phase two of the project has already commenced with foundation works currently ongoing,” DPI reported.
