Urban Crime and Violence in Guyana (From Crime and Punishment in the Caribbean, P 93-104, 1980, Rosemary Brana-Shute and Gary Brana-Shute, ed. See NCJ-77904)

• NCJ Number: 77911
• Author(s): M Parris
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 12 pages
• Sale Source: University Press of Florida
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Earlier draft presented in 1976 at the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Conference on 'Crime and Violence in the Caribbean.'

Annotation

This paper describes the urban centers of Guyana, indicates trends in urban crime, and briefly reviews offender rehabilitation approaches.

Abstract

Guyana's main urban centers are Georgetown, Linden, and New Amsterdam. In 1970, 1972, and 1974, the prevalent offense was 'break and enter and larceny.' Overall, in those 3 years, there was a continuing drop in the total number of indictable offenses. Of some concern is the increase in robbery, commonly called 'choke and rob.' There was a slight increase in the overall total of violent offenses during the 1970-1972 period, but the rate of such offenses has been stable from 1972 to 1974. Data on offenders is sparse. Rehabilitation measures have changed little over the last decade, although plans for the establishment of the new opportunity corps within the national service scheme suggests a major shift in custodial methods for juveniles. The national service scheme itself has helped to reduce the number of unemployed youth who might be drawn into criminal activities. A small prison unit has been developed especially for young offenders (ages 17-21), so that they are removed from the more seasoned offenders. A number of noninstitutional measures have been suggested as alternatives to imprisonment, and while they await implementation, the probation and welfare service has continued to offer supervision of offenders; however, 90 percent of the convicted are either fined or imprisoned. Tabular data and 17 notes are given.