Guyana to take part in mock prison riots

Last Updated on Wednesday, 9 March 2016, 14:08 by

In the wake of the deadliest prison riots in recent history, a delegation from the Guyana Prison Service is expected to travel to the United States to take part in series of exercises in a mock prison riot in West Virginia.

This was announced by Government Spokesman and Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Trotman revealed that on invitation from the US government, several prison officers will be travelling to the US to take part in the exercise to be held at a decommissioned state penitentiary.

Several other countries are expected to take part in the exercise and Trotman says that it is “expected to increase the capacity of the Guyana Prison service to response to prison unrests.”

Last week’s prison unrest in Guyana saw 17 prisoners being killed and several other injured after inmates lit mattresses in the prison block.

The unrest which went on for several days reportedly started after there was a mass seizure of contraband from inmates.

“The search revealed 19 phones and a quantum of narcotics being in the hands of prisoners in that Capital A…There was some vexation about that and they started protesting and that then led to taking off from their beds and putting next to the grill door their mattresses and setting them on fire,” said Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan. (Jomo Brusheildon Paul)