Some prison inmates have already been released and others, including those who suffer from chronic illnesses, may soon be out as the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) seeks to reduce the risk of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) entering the overcrowded jails across the country.
In a telephone interview with Stabroek News yesterday, Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels said the released prisoners are those who have served the majority of their sentences and were due to be out within the next three to four weeks.
“I must say the prison service has been taking proactive steps… a list was submitted… so consideration was already given to a number of prisoners who had short dates for release and they have been released….. Technically, they would have been released to the public within a matter of weeks and when I say weeks I am talking within a month for most of them. So instead of keeping them for another three, four weeks, they were released early,” Samuels explained.
He said another list is currently being put together. “….We are looking at those persons who may be there for possessions….and what you find as well [is] that many times when persons are charged for drug related offences, they have illegal firearms in their possession. That would have further complicated the list that I am looking to put together,” he said.
Samuels noted that during this process, emphasis is also being placed on inmates who are 55 years old and over and who have chronic illnesses.
Last Friday, the Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence issued an order for emergency measures to be implemented in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In the order, visitation to the prison facilities was restricted.
Samuels said this restriction will help keep the prison environment safe.
Overcrowding
Samuels said that the early release of inmates is part of an effort to address the issue of overcrowding in the facilities.
Last Saturday, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) called for measures to be taken to reduce overcrowding in prisons given the potential risks to prison staff and inmates posed by COVID-19.
While the GHRA had welcomed the emergency regulations instituted by government to stem the spread of COVID-19, it had voiced its concern that no reference was made to the situation in the country’s prisons, while stating that after health personnel and indigenous people, prisoners and prisons staff are the most exposed category of persons in the country.
In particular, it singled out the Lusignan Prison, saying that it was never intended to be a prison and constitutes an ideal incubator of COVID-19. “Hygiene, lack of fresh air and water, the grimy conditions inevitable with so many persons in a concentrated space, all point to the urgent need for reducing the numbers,” it said, while noting that prisoners reach the end of their sentences and prison staff go home every evening.
Saying that the society is not quarantined against its prisons, the GHRA recommended that application of social distancing is especially critical in prisons and that several measures be considered to reduce over-crowding, including the commutation of sentences for possession of marijuana or other secondary drugs.
It also urged that all remand prisoners for non-violent crimes be reviewed and bail reduced, that all prisoners whose sentences are within three months of completion be released early, and that the sentences of all women prisoners for non-violent offences be commuted.
In response, Samuels argued that there is no way the measures recommended by the GHRA could deal with the overcrowding in Guyana’s prison facilities.
He said to remedy the situation would require additional facilities being available immediately or the release of more inmates, many of whom make up the present population and which may pose a threat to society.
“We are in the process of building prisons, which are not readily available… Either we have a massive set of prisons available tomorrow—because even in releasing people there are several things to take into consideration. Fortunately, I see people talking about what appears to be a reduction in the commission of crime but if we go and we loose certain people who are in prison right now, I can tell you that there will be an increase in the commission of crime. So it is something that you have to balance out. You can’t just say, ‘Okay, we want to deal with this reduction’ and you send them out on the road and you create another situation outside of what the country is already facing,” Samuels explained.
As it relates to releasing inmates serving sentences for small amounts of drugs, Samuels said, these offenders make up only a small percentage of the prison population. “If you find fifteen persons who are in prison for possession of narcotics, you will find a lot. Most persons are in prisons for quantities of drugs that [are] deemed as trafficking, which means that you are dealing with it for the purpose of selling. They hardly have persons who are there with quantities below the required level for possession,” he said.
He further related all female inmates who were jailed for non-violent offences have been pardoned by President David Granger since he took office. “…So obviously, technically they don’t exist. Women are hardly in prison for non-violent offences or offences that are not related to large quantities of drugs,” Samuels added.
Measures
In an effort to prevent the disease within the prisons, Samuels said that a number of measures have been implemented by the GPS.
These include regular cleaning and sanitization, the installation of sinks for hand washing purposes and the monitoring of the movement of prison staff in and out of the facilities.
He said that he has also ensured that the necessary cleaning products and hand sanitizers are provided for use and that the measures outlined by the Ministry of Public Health are being practised within the confines of the prison.
According to Samuels, many were of the view that the prison would be one of the first places where the disease would spread.
However, he noted this is not the case since the inmates understand their safety relates to their hygiene.
“[It is] for them to be disciplined in terms of their hygiene, so even if for some reason you are a prisoner and you don’t want to comply with the dos and don’ts, someone next to you will make sure, and not with the use of force or anything but they will see to it that you do what you have to do because your non-compliance can affect them,” Samuels related.
“The prisoners are very cooperative. They recognize the importance in keeping their environment clean, so they are doing so on a more frequent basis because it is something that they have always done,” he added.
At two of the admission facilities—Lusignan and New Amsterdam—areas have been put in place to separate persons who are newly admitted “…so that they do not go directly into the general population where they can infect that population providing if they for some reason have been exposed to the virus.”
Magistrates are also granting self-bail to some inmates. As of yesterday, six inmates were released on self-bail. While this is not a drastic step, Samuels said it is welcomed.
He further explained that the suspension of the court hearings will also play an important role in protecting the prison environment since movement in and out of the facilities would not be necessary. “So, again, the movement of prisoners in and out the facilities is a significant step in terms of guarding the prison environment in terms of the virus moving from the outside into the prison,” Samuels said.
Samuels also said that the GPS’ medical staff was also briefed about the use of the COVID-19 hotlines. “Our medical staff has been briefed as it relates to calling the hotline if they suspect any one exhibiting the symptoms and a team from the ministry of health will be sent to the prison to do further assessment if there is a need,” he added.
Samuels commended the prison staff for their continuous effort to keep the prison environment safe and also the inmates for the discipline demonstrated during this period. “…We will continue to do all that is necessary to make sure that we keep the coronavirus out of the prison,” he further noted.
