As tourists, we encountered the same thing..it was no big deal.It just added to the Belize experience. At the time I thought it was pretty cool as other countries, saddled with debt would have gave the prisoners a private cruise at huge expense. I know there is the old "innocent until proven guilty" thing but having a boatload of people watching you in handcuffs might make some of them think twice about their actions next time.

Or just drop 'em off at Porto Stuck

The water taxis take the prisoners as paying passengers - although the police department does have a discounted fare if it pays in cash.

It is not financially viable to run prison boats back and forth.

You will see handcuffed US criminals flying out on the commercial airlines both locally and internationally.

Besides, in every mode of public transportation all over the world, you never know if you are sitting next to a criminal who is not in cuffs. Personally, I'd rather know who they were.

Last year I was on a boat with 3 guys in cuffs...and this one drunk tourist that had a bottle of one barrel, he was feeding them, and all of them smoking cigarettes,,all of those activities are not allowed on the water taxi,,signs are posted..but in the end all was fine,,,,

hmmmmm... does that count for white collar criminal as well? :P

In the US actually the feds have there own airlines including
reservations and all of it for Federal inmates moving around.
Convict Air. States use more public transportation for bringing
them back from another state and vans and buses for moving
them within the state. I think they did a special on one
of the cable channels a while ago.

They don't even have an engine on the Caye Caulker police boat.

Comparing Belize with what the United States does get kinda old.
I mean this in a nice way Zardoz, its just helpful info for you. It seems to annoy Belizeans and more often than not, is condescending.
I truly mean this in a friendly helpful way.

If they are that sensative I guess I won't write on here anymore.
I have travelled all over the world and this is the first time
I have been called condescending. I just thought it interesting.


Bye bye