By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Belize Central Prison recorded what outgoing Chief Executive Officer Virgilio Murillo described as the most successful year yet under Kolbe Foundation’s management, with no escapes despite two attempts, a decline in prison incidents, reduced drug positivity among inmates, and more than 80 percent participation in rehabilitation programs.
Despite this, 20% of the prison population is convicted or remanded for murder and in 2025, more people were convicted and sent to prison for minor crimes making up 25% of all convictions including for child maintenance, outstanding debts and vehicular offenses than for crimes such as murder, rape, drug trafficking or violent offenses. In addition, the most prevalent age range for offenders is between the 18-25 range with the majority of them coming from Belize City or the Belize District.
The 2025 Annual Report also paints a wider picture of Belize’s prison population, showing a facility that remains well below capacity but continues to reflect the country’s major crime and social challenges. At the end of 2025, the prison population stood at 1,296 inmates, up 3 percent from 1,259 in 2024. The facility’s maximum capacity is listed at 2,000, meaning the prison was operating at about 65 percent capacity.
Of the total inmate population at year-end, 917 inmates were convicted and 379 were on remand. The report lists Belize’s pretrial detention rate at 29 percent, meaning that just under one-third of the prison population had not yet been convicted and remained before the courts. That figure was down from 407 remanded inmates in 2024 and represents the lowest remand percentage recorded since 2014.
Murillo, who retired this year, said the prison met its primary goal for the year by recording zero escapes. The report notes that 2025 marked the fifth consecutive year with no escapes, following the major escape incident during the COVID-19 period. The prison also reported several security upgrades during the year, including a new perimeter fence around the female section, a new holding cell, new riot gear, and additional training for prison officers.
The report states that overall prison incidents fell by almost 24 percent, from 818 in 2024 to 622 in 2025. Most incidents involved offending good order and discipline, while inmate-on-inmate assaults also declined. The prison reported no suicides, no escapes, and no gross violence during the year.
Drug testing also showed improvement. In 2025, the prison conducted 783 drug tests on inmates, with 127 positive results, or 16 percent. That was down from a 25 percent positivity rate in 2024. Cannabis seizures also dropped by 50 percent, from 60 grams in 2024 to 30 grams in 2025, although the seizure of excess cash increased.
One of the most striking findings in the report is the composition of the prison population by offence. As of December 31, 2025, 257 inmates, or nearly 20 percent of the total prison population, were remanded or convicted for murder. Crimes of dishonesty, including robbery, burglary and theft, accounted for the largest share of inmates, with 320 prisoners, or roughly 25 percent of the prison population.
The report also shows that more people were incarcerated during the year for minor offences than for murder, sexual crimes, firearm offences, or drug trafficking. Minor offences, listed under the “Other” category, included matters such as child maintenance, owing a debt, and vehicular offences. During 2025, 211 people were incarcerated after conviction for minor offences, making it the largest category among convicted admissions for the year.
Overall, there were 1,866 imprisonments recorded during 2025, down nearly 10 percent from 2,069 in 2024. Crimes of dishonesty, minor offences, and violent crimes together accounted for about six in every ten imprisonments. The most prevalent age group among offenders was 18 to 25, accounting for roughly three in ten inmates, with the majority coming from Belize City and other parts of the Belize District.
The report also highlights findings from recidivism research conducted by Dr. Terrence Alladin of Lebanon Valley College in the United States. The study found Belize Central Prison’s recidivism rate at 26 percent in 2019, 44 percent in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 24 percent in 2021. The report notes that the figures were comparable to, and in some cases lower than, rates in Scandinavian countries, despite Belize operating with fewer resources.
The study also found that many returning inmates were being jailed for minor infractions that might be treated as violations rather than crimes in other jurisdictions. According to the report, if those violations had been excluded, Belize’s 2019 reincarceration rate would have fallen to 16 percent.
Rehabilitation remains a central part of Kolbe’s model. The report states that approximately 83 percent of inmates participated in rehabilitation programs in 2025, including spiritual programs, vocational training, work programs, drug treatment, the Remands Rehabilitation Program, the RACHEL Program, Journey to Freedom, Inner-Change for Freedom Belize, and prison industries.
Gang affiliation remains another major challenge. As of the end of 2025, the prison housed 222 gang-affiliated inmates, representing about 17 percent of the prison population. Those inmates were associated with 19 gangs.
Parole statistics showed 288 applications in 2025, with 63 approvals, an approval rate of 22 percent. The report also recorded 11 parole revocations and 62 completed paroles.
The year also included several notable events and upgrades, including a visit by Special Envoy Rossana Briceño to female inmates during Women’s Month, two prison Jubilees involving the Catholic Diocese, Jubilee International Ministries and the Methodist Church, a $350,000 overhaul of the officers’ barracks, a dental clinic, Kolbe Week, an inmates’ sports day, a female inmate banquet, and leadership training.
In his retirement message, Murillo expressed hope that the institution will continue improving in the areas of justice, inmate reform, rehabilitation, and citizen security.
The post Belize Central Prison 2025 Report: No Escapes, lower violence and strong rehab participation but more people jailed for minor offenses including child support than murder appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Belize Central Prison recorded what outgoing Chief Executive Officer Virgilio Murillo described as the most successful year yet under Kolbe Foundation’s management, with no escapes despite two attempts, a decline in prison incidents, reduced drug positivity among inmates, and more than 80 percent participation in rehabilitation programs. Despite this,
The post Belize Central Prison 2025 Report: No Escapes, lower violence and strong rehab participation but more people jailed for minor offenses including child support than murder appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.