Rehabilitating inmates new focus in ‘refashioned’ prison law

Guyana’s existing prison law focuses on punishment for crimes committed but Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC said the government is focused on refashioning that law so that persons can be rehabilitated while in prison.

The Prison Act was enacted in 1957 and according to Nandlall, the “objectives” of punishment were different in the 1950s compared to now.

So, the government wants to ensure that more prisoners are rehabilitated while serving their sentence so that they can become productive members of society upon their release.

“Then, the concentration was more on punitive measures, now the concentration is more on rehabilitation so you have to restructure and refashion a whole modern edifice and administrative framework,” he said at an event on Wednesday.

Already, efforts are being made to ensure that prisoners get certain technical skills while serving their time.

Reforming the prison system is part of a much wider project the Government of Guyana is pursuing with the support of the Inter-American Bank (IDB). The project focuses on reforming and improving the criminal justice system in Guyana.

“We have already done a tremendous amount of work under this project,” Nandlall said.

The Attorney General also said the focus on refashioning the prison law is part of a much wider focus on updating many of Guyana’s laws.