REDUCING CRIME AND HEALING THE EFFECTS OF CRIME IN T&T

In July 2003 His Grace, Archbishop Edward Gilbert, and CCSJ issued a joint statement to the media entitled: "Mobilising the entire community to reduce crime". You can read this statement on our website.

During Restorative Justice week in November 2003, CCSJ held a Seminar with key stakeholders on the theme: "Developing new approaches to the Criminal Justice System in T&T. His Grace delivered the opening remarks at the Seminar. Those who attended included:

Hon. Anthony Roberts, Minister in the Ministry of National Security; Justice Herbert Volney, Geoffrey Henderson, DPP; 8 Magistrates, Ken Gordon, Chair of the Government’s Committee Against Crime; Claire Blandin, Chief Probation Officer; Gordon Husbands, Chief Welfare Officer; Justice Annestine Sealey, Principal of Hugh Wooding Law School; Keith Scotland of the Law Association of T&T; Mr Burris of the IRO.

His Grace, Leela Ramdeen (left) and Hazel Reis at Press Conference on Crime

An action plan was drawn up at the Seminar and CCSJ will work with some of those who were present at the Seminar to follow-up on the issues raised as part of our plan to assist in attempts to reduce crime in our country. The discussion paper that was circulated to invitees before the Seminar together with information related to the action plan can be accessed via our website.

The Hon. Prime Minister was unable to attend the Seminar. However, he met with His Grace, Archbishop Edward Gilbert, and Leela Ramdeen, the Chair of CCSJ prior to the meeting to discuss issues relating to Restorative Justice and the discussion paper produced for the Seminar. CCSJ is happy to report that the Hon. Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, stated that CCSJ is "knocking on an open door".

The Chair of CCSJ also met with the leader of the Opposition, Hon. Basdeo Panday, to discuss issues relating to issues arising from the Seminar.

Standing Committee on Restorative Justice and Post-Prison Support.

CCSJ has established a Standing Committee on Restorative Justice and Post-Prison Support. Fr Matthew D’Hereaux is the Chair of this Standing Committee which has been looking closely at our reality through the lens of Restorative Justice (RJ). The Final Report of the Cabinet Task Force on Prison Reform and Transformation (2002) recommends that an RJ approach be adopted. The report states:
"The Committee agreed to the adoption of the Restorative Justice Philosophy as the ideal concept to guide penal policy and practice in Trinidad and Tobago. This approach is considered ideal as it actively incorporates and integrates all stakeholders including the community, victims of crime, corporate society and penal agencies in the fight against crime and in the various strategies and initiatives implemented for the effective management of the offender within and without the prison population. It cannot be over-emphasised that the Philosophy is a highly integrated, proactive participative and flexible approach to crime management. In essence, it (the report) provides a framework for the adoption of the Restorative Justice Philosophy. The transformation strategy for the Prison System in our view requires a new, more dynamic integrative structure of penal management."

This Standing Committee is engaged in a public awareness drive, e.g. via the print media, to raise awareness of the concept of RJ and to encourage people to embrace this concept and to move along the continuum from Retributive Justice to RJ. Our educational thrust to mark Restorative Justice Week 16th to 23rd November, included a Prayer Vigil to focus on this issue.

The Standing Committee conducted a one-day in-service training programme for Senior Prison Officers at Arouca Maximum Security Prison focusing specifically on RJ. We see this as a positive initiative that will be developed.

On Dec. 16th 2003, the Chair attended the Colloquium organized by the Ministry of the AG and the ministry of National Security and Rehabilitation entitled: “Restorative Justice: Possibilities for T&T”. Prof. Thomas Russell’s feature address was encouraging. He is a Prof. of Law from Univ. of Denver College of Law who ran a 3 1/2 week course on RJ at UWI. Inter alia, he highlighted specific areas that could take the lead in promoting an RJ approach in T&T, for example, prisons, schools, and work with juveniles in the criminal justice system. He gave examples of mechanisms that could be put in place to facilitate the provisions of T&T’s Community Service Act.

Prof. Russell found his visit to our prison in Port of Spain to be ‘profoundly disturbing’ and described the prison as being: “…not the inner circle of hell, but one of the circles of hell”. He paid tribute to prison officers who were striving to manage a system with little resources. It is hoped that the report of this colloquium will be widely circulated as the contribution of speakers and participants reflected a general commitment to an RJ approach.

Our aim as a Commission is to encourage stakeholders to consider/adopt new ways of addressing crime and its effects and to be more proactive. Proverbs state: "Without a vision the people perish." The RJ paradigm offers a new vision. Inter alia, it encourages reparation and restoration by offenders for crimes and secondly, proper re-integration of former offenders into the community whereby they are given equal opportunity to lead productive lives and receive honest gainful employment.

In view of this, our undertakings thus far have been two-fold: to prepare former inmates for re-integration into society and to prepare society to receive them. Regarding the former, we have begun a pilot project at Golden Grove Prison in Arouca to encourage inmates to think along the lines of making restoration and reparation to victims for crimes committed.

The programme, entitled "Walk Tall", is a 40 week programme which has the support of the Prison Authorities. Its objectives are four-fold: To create in participants a greater sense of self, of community, of God and of the social consequences of crime. Through a number of intervention strategies involving trained resource personnel, such as a human resource manager, marriage and family therapists, and a career counsellor who, at this stage are volunteering their expertise to CCSJ, inmates are encouraged to begin to acknowledge that crime has wide-ranging effects not only on victims and society but also on them.

The programme is also meant to identify those inmates who remain most vulnerable and who are more likely to be repeat offenders. It will serve as a forerunner to a Half-Way House Programme to support those former inmates who may be destitute on their release.

The underlying philosophy of the Half-Way House Programme is to further the formation and rehabilitation of some former inmates, to de-institutionalise them and to promote in them a sense of independence. During this programme participants will receive assistance in finding employment and in re-establishing family and community bonds.

A delegation from CCSJ met with Minister Christine Kangaloo, Minister for Social Services Delivery in October seeking support for the establishment of a Half-Way House. Minister Kangaloo has undertaken to arrange a meeting between herself, Minister Mustapha Abdul Hamid, Minister of Community Development, and CCSJ to discuss our proposal.

CCSJ will continue to work with a number of national stakeholders, resource personnel and the prison authorities in order to establish and sustain a network of programmes that assist in realising our vision of ‘Healing the Effects of Crime’ for offender, victim and national community.

CCSJ agrees with Prof. Ramesh Deosaran, Criminologist, who stated in his recent study (2003) that although statistics show that there are 17,000 serious crimes committed in T&T, this figure could be halved if there was a greater focus on rehabilitation.