Approximately $406,727 is spent annually to maintain one prison inmate, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee told the National Assembly on Thursday.

The minister was responding to a question asked by AFC Leader Raphael Trotman.  Rohee submitted a written reply to the question in which he pointed out that the figures were based on statistics available from last year. In December, Rohee had told the National Assembly that at the end of September, there were 1,058 persons incarcerated in the Georgetown Prison. Based on this figure, the government spends an average of $430,317,166 (US$2.1million) a year to maintain the prisoners in the Georgetown Prison only. Guyana has six other prisons, two in Berbice, one at Lusignan, Sibley Hall at Essequibo and one in Mazaruni for which no figures were given. In December, the minister had said that the figure at the end of September represented a decrease in prisoners as of January 31, last year. The minister said too that as at January 31, last year, 1,203 persons were incarcerated on this date including 714 persons who were on remand awaiting trial.

Human rights activists have argued consistently that the Camp Street jail is overcrowded as it was built to house around 800 inmates.