Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn on Friday urged inmates of the Mazaruni Prison to take opportunity of rehabilitation while they are incarcerated and adopt “better ambition, vision and behaviour”.
“We must make provision where those who are in prison must have hope beyond the walls and when leaving the prison, they must be successfully reintegrated into society,” a release from the Guyana Prison Service quoted Benn as saying.
On Friday, Benn visited the facility to have a first-hand assessment of the new prison block that is being built.
The Mazaruni Prison was expanded at a cost of $4 billion in an effort to address the issue of overcrowding of prisons across the country.
The release said final touches are being made on Phase One of the expansion and the facility is expected to be in operation soon. It will accommodate some 220 prisoners.
According to the release, Benn noted that while the government will continue to promote rehabilitation and social reintegration, the inmates must have “better ambition, vision and behaviour”.
“… the prison system as well as the society must view inmates as people who could have the ability to better themselves and become productive citizens,” Benn said, according to the GPS release.
Meanwhile, it added that acting Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot said the new prison will improve security, welfare and accommodation for prisoners.
It will also aid in adequately segregating prisoners based on their offence and length of sentence, Elliot added.
The new facility was built in keeping with international best practices.
Benn was accompanied by Elliot, Deputy Director of Prisons Kevin Pilgrim, Police Commander Dion Moore as well as a technical team from the Ministry.
