The Government is particularly proud of its many achievements for last year, especially as it relates to the retraining of inmates. In this regard, the Ministry of Finance in its End of Year Outcome Statement noted that 1,050 inmates were trained in numeracy and literacy, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate mathematics, carpentry, joinery, electrical installation and culinary arts.
Further to such efforts, the Finance Ministry was keen to report that the process for the reconstruction of the New Amsterdam Prison started so as to help alleviate overcrowding and ensure that Guyana is compliant with the human rights standards for the treatment of its 2,090 inmates. In fact, the design of the New Amsterdam Prison has been completed and the procurement process has commenced. The Ministry said that efforts to improve the technology utilized at facilities across the country resulted in the procurement of a variety of materials and equipment.
Overall, the APNU+AFC administration would have spent $1.4B of the $1.8B budgeted for the Guyana Prison Service. As part of the transition from a penal to a correctional institution, and to ensure that the Prison Service is staffed with qualified and competent officers, this news agency understands that a total of 430 ranks were trained through 51 external and 4 internal programmes, including Strategic Operations; Supervisory Skills; Mental Health; Improving the Service of Care; Occupational Health and Safety; and Monitoring and Evaluation.
