Govt officials study UK criminal justice system
Five senior public officers were earlier this year exposed to aspects of the Criminal Justice Administration in the United Kingdom (UK) during a one-week study tour. The Guyana Government officials had the opportunity to visit administrative, prison, police, magisterial and probation facilities. The team included Ministry of Home Affairs Permanent Secretary, Randolph Williams, Director of Prisons, Dale Erskine, Senior Superintendent of Prisons, Poshanand Tahal and Superintendents of Prisons, Ulric Williams and Colin Howard, the Guyana Information Services (GIS) reported in a news bulletin on Tuesday. The tour focussed on enabling the participants to develop tactical and strategic plans within the context of the Guyana Prison Service and its resources. The GIS said the study also allowed for meetings with key players in the UK government who have responsibilities for the administration, management and operation of prisons. Commenting on aspects of the tour, Williams noted that at the prisons everyone, including prisoners, officers, the governors and even the director general, is subjected to a search every time they enter or leave the compound. GIS quoted the permanent secretary as saying that "what is significant also about all prisons visited is the glaring evidence of large infusions of financial resources on security equipment, rehabilitation programmes, health care, dietary supplies, industrial trade shops, and gymnasiums, to name a few." Williams observed too that each prison has a specific monthly percentage of mandatory and voluntary drug testing, which ranges from 6-10 per cent of their prison population. The probation service, he stated, is an essential input in the court's proceedings and plays an integral role in the rehabilitation of prisoners and the sentencing of convicted persons, especially in the case of community service. In terms of security, the permanent secretary noted, prisons are categorised and prisoners are distributed accordingly and segregation is maximised. The study tour in February was an initiative of British High Commissioner to Guyana, Edward Glover, the GIS said.
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