The Honourable Robeson Benn, Minister of Home Affairs, along with Permanent Secretary Mr. Andre Ally and Director of Prisons Mr. Nicklon Elliott, Deputy Commissioner Law Enforcement Mr. Wendell Blanhum, Head Strategic Management Department for the Guyana Prisons Services, Mrs. Rae-Dawn Corbin-Cameron attened the Close-Out Workshop for the Support for the Criminal Justice System Programme (SCJS). The workshop is currently being held at the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown.
As the SCJS Programme comes to an end, this workshop provides a critical platform for reflection, highlighting achievements, addressing challenges, and assessing the overall impact of the initiative.
Established through a Loan Agreement between the Government of Guyana’s Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Inter-American Development Bank, the SCJS Programme was designed to tackle the pressing issue of prison overcrowding.
The Programme has focused on two primary factors contributing to prison overcrowding:
• Over-reliance on custodial sentences – Guyana’s penal system frequently imposed incarceration for minor and non-violent offences, with limited utilization of alternative sentencing options.
• Excessive use of pre-trial detention – Despite the principle of presumption of innocence, a significant portion of Guyana’s prison population comprised of pre-trial detainees. Many remained in custody due to a lack of legal representation, delays in case processing, and outdated judicial procedures as of the beginning of the programme research in 2019.
To address these challenges, the SCJS Programme implemented a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach aimed at improving prison conditions and enhancing the overall efficiency of the criminal justice system.
The outputs of this programme will be instrumental in guiding future policy decisions and reinforcing Guyana’s commitment to a more effective, fair, and humane criminal justice system.
Attendees of the close-out workshop include Honourable Challancer of the Judiciary, Madam Cummings-Edwards, Chief Justice of Guyana, Justice George-Wiltshire, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Honourable Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Honourable Dr. Vindhya V. Persaud, MP, Ms. Lorena Solorzano Salazar, IDB Country Representative, Chairperson, Ms. Indira Anandjit, SCJS Programme Manager, and numerous other key partners.
