The sixty-five prisoners, who were among those granted early release by the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) over the COVID-19 pandemic, served one-third of their sentences and portrayed good behaviour during incarceration.
This is according to Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn, who was responding on Wednesday in writing to APNU+ AFC Member of Parliament, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, who asked under what circumstances and what factors were taken into account for the prisoners to be release before the end of their sentences.
Chandan-Edmond also requested the names of the prisoners, the lengths of incarceration and the offences for which they were convicted and whether this information will be made public in view of the matter being of public welfare and interest.
Benn replied that the details can be shown to Chandan-Edmond in confidence.
He said the information will only be made public in the event that any of the individuals commit another crime.
“The public welfare and interest is served by the determination of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) of the minimum deserved sentence served and the results of the rehabilitation efforts,” Benn said.
A list was provided of the offences for which the released prisoners were incarcerated. These include manslaughter, causing of death by dangerous driving, abduction, armed robbery, robbery, unlawful and malicious wounding, unlawful assault, bestiality, attempt to commit a felony, trafficking of illegal drugs including cannabis, cocaine and narcotics, possession of narcotics, unlawful possession of firearm, break and enter and larceny, affiliation arrears, damage to property, breach of protection order, simple larceny, fraudulent conversion, escape from lawful custody, contempt of court and fraud.
The offences which had the highest number of early releases were simple larceny followed by trafficking of cannabis and then break and enter and larceny.
The majority of the listed offences saw only one early release.
Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels had previously told Stabroek News that in an effort to reduce the risk of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) entering the overcrowded jails across the country, a number of prisoners were granted early release.
At a recent forum, Samuels had said that the Guyana prison population currently stands at 1,741. This includes inmates who are mentally unstable and who were convicted of marijuana-related offences.
A number of measures were also implemented by the GPS in an effort to address the longstanding issue of overcrowding at the prison facilities.
