Juvenile escapees recaptured

TWO teenage boys were recaptured less than an hour after they made a dash for freedom yesterday morning.

Prisons Commissioner Gerard Wilson confirmed the two, aged 18 and 19, were among other minors who were on recreation time at the Youth Training Centre's yard in Arouca, when they escaped by climbing over the gate and running across the highway at around 11.45 am.

Wilson said prison and police officers were dispatched and the two were found at around 12.40 pm near the Bestcrete concrete manufacturing plant and said they were back in the prison.

He said as Carnival approaches, most inmates at the youth facility tend to become anxious and recreation time in the yard becomes limited for fear of future escape attempts.

"We don't handcuff the inmates once they are on the compound. Sometimes, and especially during Carnival time, this happens – the juveniles tend to get a little jittery.

"We may need to revisit whether we take them out during this period at all. During the Carnival week we don't send them out at all, but during this week we have to be a little more vigilant."