The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) is undergoing a significant transformation that signals a major shift in the country’s approach to incarceration, with greater emphasis being placed on rehabilitation, reintegration and the restoration of human dignity rather than punishment.

This is according to acting deputy Director of Prisons Kevin Pilgrim, who outlined the transition on Wednesday during a visit by a high-level judiciary delegation to the Lusignan Prison. He explained that while the reform process is still underway, it is an important turning point in Guyana’s criminal justice system.

Pilgrim said the prison system is moving away from a model traditionally centred on punishment toward a correctional approach designed to better prepare inmates for successful reintegration into society.