Let’s put an end to Guyana’s Prison Tourism Industry

Sep 03, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
I seriously feel we need to move away from this “Prison Tourism Industry” in Guyana. Guyana is one of the few, if not only country in the World where you can find a Prison in the heart of the city- “Prison Tourism”.
As Guyanese celebrated another Mashramani on February 23, 2002, five prisoners namely Andrew Douglas, Dale Moore, Shawn Browne, Mark Fraser and Troy Dick sought the opportunity to escape by storming the prison gate, shooting a female guard in the process and stabbed to death a male guard.
I lived on Durban Street, a couple corners from Camp Street at that time, and I can tell you it was very uncomfortable and frightening to be on the road for a long time after they escaped. Some of you may also remember the havoc they caused in our dear country.
November 2013 saw another set of inmates setting ablaze sections of the Prison as a form of protest, which could have led to an even more serious prison break.
There was another fire at the prison in March 2015.
If you are a frequent passer-by of the prison you can attest to hearing prisoners shout out to you asking you to make a phone call for them and just causally hustling women.
Further, I remember the Nut Centre, a business on Camp Street opposite the prison had to shut its door because the road was blocked at the corners of Camp and Durban Streets and so was business.
Prisoners attempt prison breaks and start up riots in prisons all over the world but most prisons are not in the heart of any city. It is my view that the prison continues to stand as a great danger to everyone within its environs and is a tragedy waiting to happen AGAIN.
Let me turn my attention to New Amsterdam, Berbice, since it is basically the same problem. A few weeks back, two prisoners escaped.
One was recaptured a few days after but then another two escaped. It has been said that the second two who escaped are more dangerous than the first two.
Ironically, I’m now spending some time in New Amsterdam not too far from the Prison.
The police had a massive search for the prisoners all day into the evening, which I’m sure disturbed a lot of the residents in the community due to the sound of a helicopter hovering over with very bright lights.
The bottom line is Prisons in the heart of the city is not safe for the citizenry of any country. I call on the current Government to look into this issue and come up with a relocation plan and a new prison system.
In closing, I’d suggest that these current Prisons be transformed into homes for vagrants, Mentally Ill and homeless persons.
Further, we have enough land for the prisons to become self-sufficient by producing its own food and even selling its produce. Let’s put an end to Guyana’s Prison Tourism Industry.
Clayon F. Halley

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Let’s put an end to Guyana’s Prison Tourism Industry

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