Some prison inmates have already been released and others, including those who suffer from chronic illnesses, may soon be out as the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) seeks to reduce the risk of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) entering the overcrowded jails across the country.
In a telephone interview with Stabroek News yesterday, Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels said the released prisoners are those who have served the majority of their sentences and were due to be out within the next three to four weeks.
“I must say the prison service has been taking proactive steps… a list was submitted… so consideration was already given to a number of prisoners who had short dates for release and they have been released….. Technically, they would have been released to the public within a matter of weeks and when I say weeks I am talking within a month for most of them. So instead of keeping them for another three, four weeks, they were released early,” Samuels explained.
