Pres. Ali pushes ‘prison avoidance system’ to prevent youth incarceration

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Monday announced plans for the development of a “prison avoidance system” aimed at preventing individuals, particularly young people, from entering the prison system in the first place.

Speaking at the Senior Officers’ Conference of the Guyana Prison Service, the Head of State said the focus must go beyond rehabilitation and instead address the factors that lead people to prison.

“We talk about rehabilitation, which is important, but before we get to prison, how do we avoid getting there,” President Ali stated.

The President pointed to the changing environment in which young people are growing up, including increased access to technology and exposure to criminal networks.

“Given the changing environment in which our young people are growing up… their access through technology, the greater connectivity with gangs and other forms of ill-conceived societal play, how do we address those,” he questioned.

Ali revealed that a specialised team will soon be established to guide the development of the new initiative.

“Let me say today that in the coming weeks, I will be launching a high-powered group of experienced persons that will look not only at the integration of our system, but that would also be taking the lead on everything I speak of this morning,” he announced.

The President also stressed the critical role of the prison system in Guyana’s overall security framework, noting that the prison service is a key component of the country’s national security architecture.

“Our prison service is part of our national security architecture. It is not inferior to the Guyana Police Force. It is not inferior to the Guyana Defence Force,” he stated.

Ali added that strengthening the prison system is necessary as Guyana’s rapidly growing economy could attract criminal networks seeking new opportunities.

“As pressure grows in all the larger economies, criminal networks are pressed. When they’re pressed, they look for new grounds,” he said.

“We have to identify where those grounds are, and here in Guyana we know with the growth in the economy, there is a natural attraction.”

The President emphasised that effective crime prevention strategies must be guided by data and situational awareness.

“I hope that at this level we are having access to that data that allows us to do the analysis so that we can craft measures based on data, based on reality, based on the awareness of what surrounds us,” he stated.