58 Lusignan prison inmates complete skills training

Some 58 inmates at the Lusignan Correctional facility graduated from various skills training programmes such as culinary arts, electrical insulation, carpentry and joinery.

Officer-in-charge, Senior Superintendent of Prisons, Deoraj Gyandat said this is in keeping with the mandate of the prison to equip inmates with the tools to successfully reintegrate into society upon completion of their sentences, according to a release from the Guyana Prison Service.

Officer-in-charge of Prisons’ Welfare and Corrections, Marielle Bristol-Grant, highlighted the importance of prisoners having skills that can be utilised to make a living upon their return to society. She commended the graduates for this accomplishment.

Meanwhile, Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot noted that knowledge of skills such as these requires the accompanying mindset. He reaffirmed the prison’s commitment to helping inmates learn from their mistakes and become better individuals.

In advancing this mandate, the director also expressed gratitude to the Government of Guyana for its continued support in enhancing the prison service.

The government’s drive to transform the prison service from penal to correctional has seen several rehabilitative projects being implemented to reduce recidivism.

The Support for the Criminal Justice Sector Programme, for example, was launched to address overcrowding in prisons.

The programme identified community service as a method to reduce the prison population, in a system where incarceration was used as a default sanction.

In 2022, some 1,400 inmates were trained in various disciplines, such as block making, basic agriculture and culinary arts among others, at a cost of $88.9 million and it is expected that this year, $100 million will be expended towards the training of 1,500 inmates (DPI)