—points to inmates accessing expanded vocational training, schooling through Guyana Digital School

OWING to the more than $28 billion in government investments and the expansion of access to vocational training and formal schooling, Guyana has maintained the lowest recidivism rate across the Caribbean.
This was according to the Director of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) Nicklon Elliot, during his address at the 2026 Annual Senior Officers’ Conference, on Monday.
The GPS Director said some 1,000 prisoners are being exposed to skills training and now have access to the Guyana Digital School.
“A total of 1,000 prisoners are exposed annually to skills training programmes in technical and vocational areas, entrepreneurial skills and academics. I am pleased to say that the prison population has started to enrol on the Guyana Digital School platform to further improve their personal skills,” Elliot said.
The country’s recidivism rate stands below 20 per cent, he emphasised.
“We continue to expand the reintegration process by providing prisoners with a toolkit on release from prison, which would contribute to their employment, thus giving them a fresh start,” Elliot said.
He highlighted the construction of a new headquarters and command centre, and the nationwide digitalisation of prisoner and staff records.
Initiatives, Elliot said, have helped push the country to the lowest recidivism rate in the region and set a blueprint for safer, more rehabilitative corrections.
“Overall, these efforts contribute significantly to the decline of persons committing offences and returning to prison,” the Prisons Director added.
He outlined, too, that staff development now plays a central role in the service’s operations. Prison officers have been exposed to a wide range of training in prison management, leadership, and human rights best practices.
Officers have also begun enrolling in the Guyana Digital School to strengthen competencies in key academic subjects such as Mathematics and English language, with the aim of improving professional performance and standards across the service.
A total of six prison officers completed their master’s degree in the area of public administration, human resource management, health care management and social work. Some 12 other prison officers completed their bachelor’s degree; 35 completed their diploma programmes; 17 completed technical certificates along with 362 who participated in the tertiary certificates programme in the field of prison management.
At present, there are three prisoner officers who are pursuing the doctoral studies in public administration, management and social psychology. Additionally, nine officers are reading for their master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in various fields.
“The prison service is certainly on a path to further create a positive impact and to improve staff development and adequately prepare prisoners for successful reintegration,” he said.
In partnership with the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), the Guyana Prison Service has embarked on an ambitious project to digitise all prisoner and staff records.
According to the Director, all personnel files have already been digitised, while 90 per cent of prisoner records and warrants are now in digital form, with the remaining records expected to be completed shortly.
This modernisation drive is intended to improve the efficiency, transparency, and security of information management within the prison system, creating a more responsive and data-driven corrections environment.