Attorney General Anil Nandlall yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which an IDB-funded project to reduce the prison population in Guyana is proceeding and urged that unused sentencing guidelines be upgraded.
According to a release from the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Nandlall, visited the Hadfield Street office where the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded project under the title “Support for the Criminal Justice System Programme” is located.
This is a US$8M project under the management of the Ministry of Legal Affairs. The Attorney General said that he is pleased that such a project is ongoing in Guyana and expressed support for it.
“However, the Attorney General expressed deep regret that since the commencement of the project in 2017, the public is not aware of its nature, nor objective. Minister Nandlall expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the project is unfolding and that its impact is not being felt by the people of Guyana.
“He reminded the staff that the project is funded by a loan that will eventually have to be repaid by the people of Guyana and therefore, in the end the ultimate beneficiaries of the project are the people of Guyana and that they must strive to ensure that the people reap maximum benefits from this project”, the release said.
The main objective of the project is “to contribute to the reduction of high concentrations of prison population in Guyana” in particular to:
1. reduce the proportion of inmates who are pre-trial detainees and;
2. increase the use of alternative sentencing in the country.
The release said that the project also provides a legal aid service. Nandlall expressed an intention to review the project documents to ensure that the project is being efficiently run and managed.
He related that a sentencing policy is lacking in Guyana but noted that there are Sentencing Guidelines which were drafted under a previous project but never implemented. Nandlall therefore tasked the team with reviewing and modifying those guidelines, if necessary, so as to avoid duplication.
He added that Guyana is in need of a Bail Act and one exists in draft at the Legislative Drafting Department of the Attorney General’s Chambers. He urged that this draft be reviewed and updated, if necessary, to avoid wastage of resources.
Nandlall also voiced the need to have a legal aid programme on statutory footing and not confined to Georgetown.
