Georgetown, Guyana – (June 4, 2019) Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency, Ms. Simona Charles Broomes, today, presented a quantity of sport equipment to the inmates of the Timehri Prison. The Minister travelled to the prison to make good on her promise to the inmates to provide them with a quantity of recreation gear, during her surprise visit to the facility on Mother’s Day. Minister Broomes handed over the items to Head of the Timehri Prison, Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Amisa Benjamin, on the lawns of the prison at its East Bank Demerara location.

During the visit, Minister Broomes again encouraged the inmates to make the best of their allotted time at the facility by engaging in the skills training and rehabilitation programmes offered there. “The youths are youths regardless of where they are and my visit is to encourage them to have a plan… we cannot afford to have our youths in prison,” she said.

The Minster donated a quantity of cricket bats, balls, wickets, football nets and footballs to the prison.

One offender said that the Minister’s visit made many of them feel special and it was a source of encouragement to them. “To see a Minister come here to visit, it has been a joy to us around here. Even though we are incarcerated, even though some persons may have neglected us in society; we still feel that someone cares and that is what we respect and look up to,” he said.

The inmates also praised the Government and Assistant Superintendent Benjamin for the improvements in the welfare and the rehabilitation opportunities available at the institution.

The Timehri Prison through its rehabilitation services, offers classes on drug abuse awareness, anger management, Mathematics, tailoring, wool craft and construction. Inmates are often between the ages of 15 and 30 years.

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