Prison Service moving towards using non-lethal weapons

Ranks of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) will be receiving additional training in the use of non-lethal weapons at the various facilities across Guyana.

This is according to Acting Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, during a recent interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI).  

Non-lethal weapons are less likely to kill a living target than conventional weapons such as knives and firearms with live ammunition. These weapons are designed to minimise the risk of serious/permanent injuries or death as much as possible.

To this end, the Prison Service is procuring non-lethal devices to be used in the various penitentiaries.

“It is our overall goal to move towards non-lethal devices, we actually started the procurement aspect and persons were trained in some aspects of it and in August month, we will be receiving some training by Queensway with the use of tasers into the system,”Elliot explained.

Additionally, he explained that ranks are mandated to be exposed to human rights training to ensure inmates are treated with respect.

Meanwhile, a mental health unit will be established to support the staff of the Prison Service as well as the inmates.

The Prison Service will also be partnering with its counterparts for an exchange programme so, “that we can be able to see what best practices can be drawn from them into our system,” the director noted. The government is supporting the prison’s transformation with an allocation of as $5.5 billion this year.