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This publication notes – with approval – that over the last two years or so, there appears to be an increased focus on the rehabilitation of criminal offenders rather than mere incarceration. Whether or not this is a deliberate policy shift is unknown. However, the actual or perceived refocus appears to be bearing fruit.
On July 17, it was announced that several prisoners had graduated from a training course. A release by the Department of Public Information states;
“Over 420 inmates housed at the Lusignan, New Amsterdam, Camp Street and Timehri Prisons have graduated from training programmes, which have now equipped them with skill sets to aid their reintegration into society. Some 422 inmates graduated over the past few weeks after completing the programmes, which are intended to provide them with skills to find a job and earn a living wage. The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) said the inmates were trained in areas including family reconciliation, domestic violence, literacy, citizenship and the law, and psychology.”
In March 2023, Director of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS), Nicklon Elliot, revealed that the rate at which convicted criminals recommitted an offence – recidivism − in Guyana dropped from 13 per cent in 2021 to 10 per cent in 2022. If those statistics are to be believed, then one may indeed be encouraged, and congratulations may be in order for someone.
On that occasion, Mr. Elliot said, “[The reduction] is quite remarkable, because of the number of activities that are ongoing at the ministerial level and the governmental level, and of course by extension, our strategic plan which drives this effort.”
Recidivism is generally defined as a person’s relapse into criminal behavior, often after the person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a previous crime, such as a prison sentence. However, a specific definition is difficult to pin down because there are many defining variables. Some of them appear to be arbitrary.
For example, various jurisdictions define recidivism as a repeat arrest, while others only count repeat convictions. To make matters more complicated, some territories only consider a repeat of the same type of crime, on the other hand, some agencies consider any second crime to be recidivism.
Psychologists say that recidivism has many causes. However, the leading ones are:
- negative social interactions during incarceration,
- lack of employment and economic opportunity,
- depression,
- lack of reintegration into society,
- an unchanging lifestyle and social circle upon release,
- and the underlying problems causing crime not being treated during incarceration.
Experts say that to effectively mitigate the problem, those issues must be addressed. After all, the most desirable outcome is for a released prisoner to become a productive member of society.
While this publication will continue to monitor and report on the situation in Guyana, it would appear that there may be some hope for the improvement of the situation.
