Minister of Home Affairs visit the Lusignan Prison

On Sunday, February 10, 2023, the honorable Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Robeson Benn, M.P., made an impromptu visit to the Lusignan Prison, where he looked at the progress of the ongoing works.

A walk-through was also conducted at the new state-of-the-art Prison facility, which will improve security, welfare, and accommodations for prisoners while also adequately segregating them based on their offense and sentence length.

According to Mr. Deoraj Gyandat, Senior Superintendent of Prisons, the relocation of prisoners from the holding bay to the new facilities has already begun and will continue in the coming week.

The holding bay was established after the destruction of Camp Street Prison, which took place on Sunday, July 9, 2017, and the old Lusignan Prison.

The modern facilities will accommodate 1,000 prisoners, who will be housed in keeping with international best practices. Prisoners will be living in a dormitory-style setting where they will be furnished with beds and mattresses.

The prison will include a vocational school to facilitate training to mitigate recidivism and upskill inmates. This structure works in conjunction with the home affairs minister’s ‘Fresh Start’ initiative.

Upgrades to the facility will also accommodate a female prison, which will assist in the relocation of female prisoners in New Amsterdam.