-ministry points to raft of measures

There are 832 prisoners at the Georgetown Prison awaiting trial in the courts, including some who have not had their cases heard in almost four years, the Ministry of Home Affairs says.
Figures compiled as of Thursday have revealed that the tally represents 36% of the overall prison population. Some 752 prisoners are awaiting trials, while another 103 are convicted prisoners who are waiting to be tried in the High Court.

A press statement from the Ministry issued on Thursday highlighted the situation in the prisons, while pointing to the Judicial Service Commission’s recent appointment of two temporary magistrates, Judy Latchman and Dale Kingston.
ministry said it is hopeful that “these appointments work towards the speedy conclusions of cases and the reduction of the number of persons being remanded,” adding that this will also contribute to the alleviation of the overcrowding in the prisons.

Around 40 prisoners attend court daily while an additional 285 prisoners are being further remanded twice each week, according to the statement.
The ministry also pointed to measures that it said the administration has initiated to address the issue of overcrowding in the prisons, included are the construction of a new cellular dormitory for remand prisoners in the city with a 240 holding capacity; the rehabilitation of a dormitory at the city jail to hold prisoners suffering from tuberculosis, and a new dormitory at Mazaruni to allow for the transfer of remand prisons from Georgetown.
Further, the ministry said double-bunk beds are to be introduced, and the granting of special remission ranging from 7-28 days to prisoners who conduct themselves in a disciplined manner.