Public to pay fee to visit Lusignan prisoners

Persons visiting their relatives at the Lusignan Prison will be required to pay a small fee to be transported from the checkpoint to the holding area from Monday. This is according to the Prison Administration.

In a statement released by Acting Director of the Guyana Prison Service, Gladwyn Samuels, he disclosed that that the Visiting Booths for the Lusignan Prison and the New Holding Bay have been completed.

“An authorized vehicle will then transport visitors from the Security Checkpoint to the Visiting Booth area at the cost of two hundred dollars ($200.00) Guyana Currency return,” the statement said.

The building of these structures commenced in July, following the Camp Street prison riot and the relocation of prisoners to the Lusignan facility. The statement disclosed that visits to persons on remand will be on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for a duration of ten minutes, while visits to persons convicted will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a duration of twenty minutes. Family visits will be every three months for a duration of twenty minutes.

Visits will not be conducted on any National Holiday, the Prison service said.With dress code in effect, visits will commence from 08:30 am to 1:00 pm and bookings for visits will be closed at 11:30 am and the regular change-of-clothing exercise will be conducted on the completion of each visit.

According to the Prison Service, the relatives of prisoners will report to the Security Check Point area located about 350 meters from the Embankment, where Self-Support is conducted, for booking and further instructions.Failure to adhere to instructions will result in the visits being cancelled.