Vulnerable groups in the Guyana penal system—women, children and indigenous people—are made to suffer undue hardships and better provisions must be made for them, according to the final report of the recently concluded Prison Commission of Inquiry (CoI).
Women offenders, who are often “victims of men,” should not be sent to jail unless it is absolutely necessary, the CoI report said, and it has proposed the establishment of a half-way house for those convicted of non-violent offences to help in their rehabilitation.
“Prison is a much harsher experience for women than men. On the outside, women are usually the ones responsible for looking after the family and children. An extended stay in prison usually means women emerge to find their children dispersed, their partners no
