The GPS headquarters is designed and equipped to support case management, training and administrative functions.
Also, it will play a critical role in reducing recidivism and building a more secure and accountable correctional system.
Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn described the headquarters as “a metaphor for what we want to have in the system”.
He said the project stands as a statement of values and a commitment to prison reform.
“While we make new blocks, while we put in place for school, when we put in the trade shops, the vocational areas. We are talking about reforming, rehabilitating them [prisoners]. We are doing these things to make a better society, a better country, better people, better communities,” the minister emphasised.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Andre Ally highlighted the dramatic shift in conditions at Lusignan in recent years.
“If you knew the state of this compound six years ago, then you know what I am talking about,” he said.
“Back then, this was a holding bay where Guyanese citizens were kept under some of the worst conditions, and officers faced immense challenges.”
He noted that since 2020, the government has injected more than $4 billion into the compound.
The upgrades include new cell blocks, secure walkways, kitchens, trade shops, vocational schools, virtual courtrooms and officers’ quarters.
Ally compared the government’s investment with that of the Opposition, which saw $15 million allocated for electrical works between 2015 and 2020.
“This shows you that we are invested in you, because this job isn’t easy. We must invest,” he said.
Meanwhile, Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot welcomed the new headquarters, describing it as a timely intervention for staff and inmates alike.
“We are very grateful for the investment that the Ministry of Home Affairs, by extension, the government have made for the upliftment of staff welfare, staff conditions, and prisoners’ welfare and conditions,” he said.
The new headquarters and upgrade of the Lusignan prison form part of the PPP/C government’s efforts to modernise the nation’s prison system while boosting prisoners’ reintegration into society. (Department of Public Information)
