At least one of the persons who was recently pardoned by President David Granger has found himself back behind bars. However; the man’s identify and crime are unknown.

The President had pardoned 40 persons earlier this year and recently announced that more prisoners who are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes will be released on Guyana’s 50^th Independence anniversary – May 26, 2016.

After being granted amnesty, majority of the persons were enrolled in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Skills and Knowledge for Youth Empowerment (SKYE) programme.

According to Director of Prisons; Welton Trotz in a recent interview with NewsNow, said monthly reports are provided on the performance of those persons and so far have shown that they are performing well. He added that of the 40 odd persons that were pardoned, only four persons are not in the program.

“Of the number that have been released so far, three of them who would’ve hail from the interior, they are not on the program even though we have interviewed them and given them and given them the necessary encouragement, they apparently went back into their location and did not make contact with the program… A fourth one that hails from Corentyne, he would’ve gotten himself involved in some trouble and is back in prison,” Trotz said, but was not in a position to provide more details on the individual.  

Speaking on the President’s recent announcement to pardon more prisoners in 2016, the Director of Prisons says he “has not been given instructions or received information relating to that as yet”.

He added however, that the selected persons will remain those who commit minor offences and will undergo training and monitoring as well.

“Things such as disorderly behavior, minor, minor assault, don’t think we had any persons dealing with drugs, threatening behavior, threatening language,” he explained.

The USAID SKYE Project is working with at-risk youth between the ages of 15 – 24. They are mainly males, who are school dropouts, youth who completed formal education but do not have the necessary skills to find employment and youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

Under the SKYE program, the persons receive teaching in education, various skills and behavioral training, so that they can be reintegrated into society.