Stabroek News
May 28, 2001

Escapes from the country's penal facilities are said to be on the decline even as the population continues to rise and staffing levels decline.
This decline, according to a release from the Guyana Information Services (GIS), is due to adequate security and measures being taken to ensure the safe custody of detainees.
Speaking on behalf of the service, Superintendent Ulric Williams told GIS that since 1995 when 88 prisoners escaped, there had been a steady decline.
Figures show that in 1996, 58 persons escaped from penal institutions while in 1997 that figure was four with a rise to 23 for 1998. Both 1999 and 2000 recorded 18 escapees with the figure to date for 2001 being seven.
Most of the escapes - 90 per cent - according to the release, came through supervisory errors.
The remaining ten per cent it was stated, comprised persons categorised as `trustees' - those who have completed the greater part of their sentence and were doing outside jobs for long periods and who suddenly fled.
Williams was said to have stated that although some of the escapes would come as a surprise, every prisoner was a potential escapee and should be supervised as far as practical. Nevertheless, every prisoner was treated as an individual, with the authorities not treating others prejudicially due to the escape of colleagues, the release said.