The Georgetown Prison, one of the oldest penitentiaries in Guyana, could be shut down totally, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said on Thursday.
He hastened to clarify that no decision has been made but it is a consideration that is engaging the administration’s attention.
“I don’t know if we will shut it down totally but soon most of the prisoners will be out of there.
“We have not made a firm decision but it seems to be headed that way,” Jagdeo said during a press conference at the Robb Street, Georgetown Freedom House.
The penitentiary, located at Camp Street, was initially built during the period of Dutch colonization and was a common jail for the confinement of prisoners of both sexes until 1933 when it was converted into a male prison.
Located in the centre of the capital city, residents and businesses have long complained of its effects on their everyday activities. And the roads around the prison have been barricaded for more than a decade now, preventing the smooth flow of traffic and access to businesses.
“Locking down the road affected business around the area. They complain a lot; The people come to us all the time,” Jagdeo said.
The facility has also experienced several jail breaks over the decades, including some accompanied by fires and violent exchanges between prisoners and law enforcement officers.
Guyana has long been cited for prison overcrowding and last month, new structures were completed at Lusignan on the East Coast of Demerara and some 689 prisoners who were previously housed in a Holding Bay area of the Lusignan Prison were relocated to the new structures.
And to ensure there is no recurrence of fires like the one that destroyed the Georgetown Prison and killed 17 prisoners in 2017, the three modern facilities which were constructed to the tune of $1.4 billion were built with a fire suppressant system and smoke detectors in every cell.
