Prison officers better equipped to manage vulnerable prisoners

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DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Ten Prison Officers of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) have recently graduated from a one-week Training of Trainers Course, in the Management of Vulnerable Prisoners.

Director of Prisons (ag), Gladwin Samuels recently told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the just concluded training programme will now add capacity to prison officers to handle vulnerable inmates held in prisons across the nation.

“We had ten prison officers exposed to the one-week training. They were drawn from the five prison locations. Basically, what that serves to do is to ensure that capacity is built at all of the locations; because the two ranks [from each location] that would have received training, will return and impart the knowledge gained to the other staff.”

Samuel further added, “while it will not help them to be specialists at least it would assist them to be able to better identify persons who are deemed to be vulnerable taking into consideration the various definitions thereof and have them assigned the necessary care they would need in prison”.

According to Samuels, the training is among several interventions agreed upon with the British Government for assistance to build capacity within the Prison Service.

“Basically in 2017, negotiations between the British High Commission and the Prison Service commenced as it relates to ways in which they can offer assistance in terms of building capacity. This came out of a number of recommendations that were submitted.”

The Acting Director of Prisons said two programmes were decided upon, “one is to deal with vulnerable prisoners and the other address leadership.” Samuels explained both training programmes have commenced.  The recently concluded five-day Management of Vulnerable Prisoners programme was facilitated by a Trinidadian consultancy firm in collaboration with a trainer from London.

According to the Acting Director, the prison population currently includes approximately 80 vulnerable prisoners placed at various locations across the country.

 

By: Kidackie Amsterdam

 

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