He said the legislation would move away from retributive justice to restorative justice and would lend support to an offender’s re-entry into society, reducing recidivism and promoting the rehabilitation of prisoners. The current prison rules, which have existed since 1943, are anachronistic, and new rules which focus more on the prisoners and their management and treatment were necessary, he said.

The new rules establish requirements of clothing, food and sleeping accommodation that conform, where possible, to United Nations and international standards, Volney said. The rules also make provision for “adequate medical services that will cater to prisoners with special needs and conditions”.

Volney said the new rules would support the human dignity of prisoners. The new system would include “a system of privileges for the different classes of prisoners, including a points-based system for prisoners to earn remission or part-remission of their sentence”.

It will also include “a detailed system of communication and visits, which would allow prisoners to communicate with their family, friends and attorneys, including the use of telephone and video visits, as well as conjugal and private family visits for convicted prisoners who meet eligibility criteria,” Volney stated.”

For more on the article please click the link below.

New ‘prison rules’ to allow conjugal visits for convicts | Trinidad Express Newspaper | News.

Much of the attention has focused on the strategies she indicated her government is adopting to curb the rate of re-offending by prisoners.

One of the strategies which has attracted public attention is a promise of a grant of up to $5,000.00 for ex-prisoners to aid them in the process of reintegration.

For the benefit of readers of this blog, CURB has attached a copy of the Prime Minister’s speech so that readers may peruse the same in its entirety.

Please click the link below for the speech:-

PM address at Vision on a Mission Function.

Vision On Mission also paid tribute to ex-offenders who had completed its programmes and had not re-offended. Several ex-prisoners were presented with special awards to recognise their achievements and transformation into productive members of the society.

The event also served as a ceremony for the installation of the new Board of Directors for the organisation.

Feature speaker was the Honourable Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who caused a stir when she revealed some of the mechanisms being implemented by her administration to assist ex-prisoners and thereby reduce the rate of re-offending.

Among those plans are the issue of a grant of up to $5,000.00 to assist ex-prisoners in the process of reintegration, hiring a quota of ex-prisoners on government development projects and allowing a 200 percent tax incentive to private businesses which hire ex-prisoners.

The Prime Minister also indicated that the law is to be amended to allow prisoners to sell products they manufacture in prison and for the proceeds of sale to be distributed to their victims, their’ families and a portion to be retained as savings for their date of release.

CURB appreciates that several of these initiatives formed part of the recommendations of the Penal Reform Task Force Report as well as the Ex-prisoners Committee Report from 2003 and 2006 respectively.

We are pleased to hear that some of these measures which were recommended after much discussion and ground-breaking research are finally being implemented.

Prisons Commissioner John Rougier and senior officers of the TTPS were in attendance at the Prisons Training College on a rainy afternoon to honour some of the 65 State and non-State organisations which partner with the TTPS in the process of restorative justice.

Among those agencies receiving awards were several founding member organisations of CURB.

These were Alpha and Omega Prison Ministry, Evans Vision and Sound Ministry, New Hope Prison Ministry, Vision On Mission and Woman Thou Art Loosed Foundation.

Also recognised were several persons and agencies with whom CURB has partnered over the years.

These include ALTA, COPCAM, Awake Deborah, Prison Fellowship, and colleagues such as Pastor Brian Skinner.

Among the honourees called upon to speak at the awards function were CURB directors Wayne Chance and Adrian Alexander.

In a stirring speech Mr. Chance encouraged those present to work together for the benefit of the inmates.

Mr. Alexander told the audience that they as volunteers were called to serve inmates as well as officers and asked them to focus on public safety which would benefit all members of society.

Other noted speakers were Superintendent in charge of Programs, Henry Chase, Executive Director of Penal Reform and Transformation Unit, Gordon Husbands and Feature Speaker, John Rougier.

The first Training Day was held at the Prisons Training College, Bandoo Avenue, Tumpuna Road, Arima on Monday 22nd November 2010 and saw 170 delegates in attendance!

The event had the support of Prison Fellowship, COPCAM, several State agencies and was sponsored by the T&T Prisons Service and the Penal Reform and Transformation Unit.

Details and photos are available here.

The second Training Day was held at the beautiful Mt. Irvine Bay Hotel in Tobago on Wednesday 24th November, 2010 and saw 105 delegates in attendance!

That event was sponsored by the Tobago House of Assembly, Department for Social Services and Gender Affairs and had the support of the Tobago Pastors and  Ministers Association.

Details and photos are available here.

For more details about the conference and the work of CURB in countering Trafficking In Persons, please visit End Human Trafficking in the Caribbean.

Mr. Chance is the founder and CEO of Vision on Mission which provides reintegration services inclusive of housing, employment assistance and counselling to ex-offenders and deportees.

The stated objectives of that organisation are:-

1. To provide rehabilitation services for prisoners returning to society and to lobby for the acceptance of ex-inmates by the society with a view to reducing the rate of recidivism.
2. To continue to conduct a relentless campaign against crime and lawlessness locally, regionally and internationally.
3. To provide comprehensive services for the treatment of delinquency.

CURB wishes Mr. Chance and Vision on Mission all the best in their endeavours to make this country a safer place to live. We also hope that this landmark award would open the door for the greater acceptance of ex-offenders by the wider society.

One surprise is that the newly-created Ministry of Justice, under former High Court judge Herbert Volney, now carries the responsibility for a series of departments related to the criminal justice system which were under other ministries in the former administration.

Among the agencies for which Justice Volney will have oversight is the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service. His ministry will also be responsible for the Probation Services, Offender Management and Youth Re-offender Management.

As a balanced approach, the Justice Ministry will also be the line ministry for all issues relating to the needs of crime victims and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act.

CURB looks forward to the release of further details as to how this new development will impact the operations of programmes within the prison system and the Youth Training Centre in particular.

In the years since its registration CURB has cemented itself as a key stakeholder in the regional landscape and has accomplished many of its initial objectives.

These objectives include (1) lobbying to positively impact the criminal justice system, (2) promoting restorative justice as a viable response to crime and offending behaviour, (3) empowering member organisations in different spheres of activity and (4) expanding its network of influence to partner with other non-profit organisations.

To celebrate our 5th anniversary, CURB Board members met for dinner at the popular restaurant Jenny’s On the Boulevard in Port of Spain.

CURB was proud to be a part of the launch of National Mentoring Day on Tuesday 20th April, 2010 at City Hall Auditorium, Port of Spain.

We are one of the founding members of Caribbean Mentoring Month Coordinating Committee to promote mentorship in the Caribbean.

Other founding member organisations are The Mentoring Centre of Trinidad and Tobago, Heroes Foundation and Anointed Sons International.

Ms. Joanne Spence of The Mentoring Centre was the visionary and served as chairperson of the committee.

It is the committee’s desire to see the use of mentoring expand across the Caribbean to treat with the realities of the social ills involving children in our communities.

On National Mentoring Day, motivational speaker Mr. Don la Foucade brought a stirring message for the young persons present. The feature address was delivered by then Minister of Social Development, Dr. Amery Browne.

Lads and staff of the Youth Training Centre, girls from St. Jude’s Home and youth from other institutions were on hand to participate in the day’s events.

The events include a panel discussion on youth crime, oral presentations by the founding member organisations as well as a display of their brochures and other literature.

Photos of National Mentoring Day 2010 are available in our online Photo Album.

Further information about the committee is available on their Blog.

National Volunteer Week is an annual event which has been spearheaded by Ms. Claudette Spencer-Nurse of The Volunteer Connection.

The week took the form of a fund raising brunch on Sunday followed by various activities including a volunteer workshop, two volunteer fairs and a volunteer clean up campaign.

CURB was represented at several of the activities. Our member organisations had their brochures displayed at volunteer fairs hosted at Port of Spain and Trincity Mall and we were able to speak with a number of passers-by who are interested in the plight of offenders and victims of crime.

Photos of the National Volunteer Week 2010 are available in our online Photo Album.

This year the fathers, other male relatives or mentors were present to witness the lads receive certificates from several courses on moral and spiritual literacy which were conducted at the institution from July 2009 to May 2010.

These courses which were run primarily by our partner organisation, Caring for Ex-Offenders (CFEO), were the Youth Alpha, Freedom Within and Preparing for Purpose courses.

The moral and spiritual literacy courses are part of CURB’s proposal of Learning for Life for the lads at the Youth Training Centre.

CURB President, Adrian Alexander delivered the Feature Address calling on fathers to examine their lives and value systems and to turn their hearts toward their sons.

Other speakers on the day were The Honourable Dr. Lincoln H. Douglas, Prisons Commissioner John Rougier, Prisons Superintendent Sterling Stewart and Prisons Welfare Officer Roderick Beaumont.

The highlight of the day was when one father declared that, while he was not proud of what his son did to be sent to YTC, he was proud of who his son has become.

Photos of the lads spending time with their fathers are available in our online Photo Album.

CURB looks forward to the next step in the process of readying the lads for reintegration – the training of prisons officers and volunteers in family group conferencing.

As a result of the criminal justice policy indulged in by successive Conservative and Labour administrations over the past two decades, the UK prison population grew from average to the highest in western Europe.

Each new prison place costs £170,000 to build and maintain, and the cost per prisoner per year is £45,000. Total prison expenditure increased from £2.843bn in 1995 to £4.325bn in 2006.

Nor does incarceration work to reduce re-offending. In the UK, 49% of adults are reconvicted within one year of being released, and for those serving sentences of less than 12 months this increases to 61%.

The National Audit Office estimates that reoffending by all recent ex-prisoners costs the taxpayer between £9.5bn and £13bn a year.

For more on what is planned by the new justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, please visit the Guardian article here

In Trinidad and Tobago where crime has spiralled out of control and where the prison capacity has been stated as over 80%, it will be interesting to see what our new coalition government will do to treat with crime and re-offending.

CURB reiterates that there is no need to incarcerate every offender and hopes to see the new government adopt a what works approach rather than a paranoid one.

In this regard we suggest restorative policies which bring greater victim satisfaction, funding for re-entry programmes and sentencing reform to allow persons to be sent to treatment rather than prison for addiction related challenges in their lives.

via Inside Chowchilla Women’s Prison: Locked up, Reaching out – KMPH Fox 26 Central San Joaquin Valley News Source in Fresno, California Entertainment, News, Sports and Weather |.

F.I.C.M. is the work of the U.S. based Pastor Neil T. Anderson who wrote the best-selling book, The Bondage Breaker. Pastor Anderson developed the F.I.C.M. programme as a process of discipleship counselling which has been recognised as a powerful tool in the arsenal of spiritual counsellors.

CURB President, Adrian Alexander invited F.I.C.M. representatives, Michelle Young and Brian Skinner, to give the mentors an overview of the programme.

Participants in the 2-hour session learned how discipleship counselling through Freedom Appointments can assist one to overcome bondages in seven key areas of our lives.

F.I.C.M. representatives from the USA will visit Trinidad and Tobago in March 2010 to conduct further training with persons from various churches and NGOs. It is hoped that, during that visit, our mentors will be certified as FICM Encouragers to better help their respective mentees.

We also plan for the U.S. based and local F.I.C.M. representatives to conduct Freedom Appointments for YTC lads and mentees who have been discharged.

The programme, which is operated by CURB at the Youth Training Centre was formally launched on Saturday 8th August, 2009 at the institution.

Our photo albums may be viewed at http://photos.curbcrime.org

The initiative links caring members of the community with lads of the Youth Training Centre (YTC). The mentor relationship lasts 12 months initially and lads commit to spend at least 2 years in the programme.

The function took place in the gymnasium of the Youth Training Centre (YTC) and lasted almost 3 hours. Proudly attired in their formal wear, 24 lads were able to spend the afternoon with relatives and were introduced to their mentors. Their faces lit up to see that they had someone to care for them and encourage them to be all that God created them to be!

CURB President, Adrian N. Alexander had spent every Thursday from 4th December, 2008 to 6th August, 2009 working with 2 groups of lads to prepare them for this day. In this process of mentee orientation, he was ably assisted by Ms. Carol Simmons whose maternal warmth and spiritual nuggets are a constant source of blessing to the lads.

At the programme launch, Superintendent of Prisons of the YTC, Mr. Sterling Stewart, spoke of the many changes which had been implemented at the institution since he assumed management there. He pledged to continue being an instrument of change for the good of the lads.

Mr. Stewart has been an interested partner in the commencement and continuation of the mentoring programme. He has testified on several occasions of the positive changes he witnessed in lads in the mentoring class. He challenged the lads to be role models in their dormitories and to pass on the life skills they have learned to others at the institution.

Feature Speaker for the event was Ms. Joanne Spence of The Mentoring Centre of Trinidad and Tobago. She was principal trainer of the mentors in the programme and shared with the audience from her wealth of knowledge in mentoring. Her words spoke to the hearts of the relatives of the lads, the mentors and the lads themselves.

To the last group, Ms. Spence encouraged them to discover God’s purpose for their lives, follow the passion He gives to fulfil that purpose, be persistent in doing so and to allow people into their lives to guide them towards attaining their goals and dreams.

Following her address, Ms. Spence and Mr. Stewart distributed letters of appointment to the mentors. Ms. Spence thereafter prayed for the mentors for God to use them to positively impact the lives of the lads.

Prisons Commissioner, John Rougier who spoke passionately about the need for the lads to uncover and fulfil their purpose. He said purpose for men did not involve committing harm against other persons in society but in living in love with one another.

As the audience enjoyed refreshments provided by the Prisons Service, the mentors interacted with lads and their families until it was time to depart.

This is just the beginning, however, as mentors and lads embark upon a wonderful adventure of relationship, growth and maturity over the next 12 months!

Superintendent Stewart assists Ms. Spence to distribute letters of appointment to mentors.

Some of the mentors await prayer after receiving their letters of appointment.

Superintendent Stewart (2nd from left) and Commissioner Rougier (2nd from right) pose with lads.

Mr. Alexander delivered a short presentation to them of the work CURB has been doing at the Youth Training Centre over the past several months. This includes the restorative mentoring programme and the Learning For Life programme.

He outlined to these leaders of business the need for men to make the time to become involved in the lives of the lads and mentor them.The benefits to the lads and the community as a whole with an investment of only 4 to 6 hours of time per month make mentoring an effective way to reduce crime in the nation.

Several of the men expressed an interest to become mentors to the lads and CURB looks forward to a wonderful relationship with FGBMI in the future.

If you would like to mentor a young offender please visit http://mentoring.curbcrime.org for more information and to sign up online.

With the ever-increasing number of Caribbean and Latin nationals entering Trinidad and Tobago and being exploited for sex and labour, the delay in establishing a reliable reporting mechanism is unacceptable.

With each passing day untold horrors are being experienced by vulnerable persons.

While compassionate towards victims of this slave trade, several workshop participants expressed concerns for their safety in reporting incidents of trafficking.

It was openly stated that some nationals already receive threatening phone calls from criminals after they report criminal offences to the police. This alleged breach of security occurs whether reports are made to local police stations or to the crime reporting 555 number.

In an effort to provide relief for trafficking victims while allaying the fears of the community, CURB has created an online form through which the public may report incidents of potential human trafficking.

Until such time as the Government is able to establish a reliable and secure reporting tool, CURB encourages members of the national community to use this online form.

The focus of the form is to help identify possible victims of sexual and labour slavery so that they can be rescued, restored and rehabilitated.

All information submitted is confidential and the identities of persons using the form are unknown to CURB.

Information received via this form will be passed discreetly to the relevant agencies for providing support to the victims of human trafficking.

The form is available on the End Human Trafficking page of the CURB website. The web page address is http://slavery.curbcrime.org

Again facilitated by Ms. Joanne Spence of The Mentoring Centre of Trinidad and Tobago, this session on 16th July focused on preparing for the mentors’ first meeting with the mentees.

An important topic for discussion was how to deal with delicate issues with their mentees.  She emphasised the need for mentors to be non-judgemental and to put mentees at ease. She also encouraged mentors to maintain confidentiality of things shared by mentees but outlined exceptions when disclosure must be made.

Further training will be conducted as the mentors progress in their relationship with their mentees.

Ms. Spence shares with mentors how to deal with delicate issues.

Mentors pose with trainer, Joanne Spence.

From December, 2008 CURB engaged in discussions with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) based in Washington D.C. in the U.S.A.

The IOM had visited Trinidad and Tobago since 2005 and had trained hundreds of persons within the Ministry of National Security, the media and a few non-governmental agencies in issues relating to human trafficking.

However, the IOM had not previously trained prison ministries nor prisons officers. This despite the fact that many potential victims of human trafficking may be in prison on prostitution or immigration charges.

As such, CURB collaborated with the IOM to host two workshops in July 2009 to deliver training presentations on Understanding and Responding to Human Trafficking to various audiences.

The day before the workshops, CURB President Adrian N. Alexander interviewed facilitators Chissey Mueller and Jewel Ali on Simply Worship on ISAAC 98.1 F.M.

IOM representatives at ISAAC 98.1 F.M.

Miss Mueller is from the IOM office in the USA and Mrs. Ali is from the IOM office in Trinidad and Tobago.

The workshops were held on Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th July, 2009 at the Cipriani Labour College. The participants included prisons officers, members of prison ministries, community-based organisations and faith-based organisations.

Cross-section of workshop participants.

This is the first of several initiatives from CURB to sensitise the nation of the scourge of human trafficking and develop effective responses to the problem.

Soon to come will be various fora to secure support from key national stakeholders to lobby for the passage of relevant and culturally appropriate laws to treat with the issue of human trafficking.

For approximately 1 hour the trainee mentors had the benefit of the experience and insight of Prisons Officer, Karl Muckette of the Youth Training Centre.

Karl Muckette outlines his main points.

Mr. Muckette, who has been a prisons officer for 15 years, shared with the group the various rules of the institution which volunteers are required to follow.

In particular, he warned us about falling prey to Trafficking, Undue Familiarity, being careful of the Nature of our Conversations with the lads and other devices and ploys they may use to manipulate or deceive us.

Trainees listen as Prisons Officer Karl Muckette unravels the criminal mind.

Following this interactive session, lead trainer Ms. Joanne Spence took time to emphasise some of the key Ethical Issues in Mentoring.

We congratulate Ms. Spence on the launch on Sunday 5th July, 2009 of The Mentoring Centre of Trinidad and Tobago.

Cross section of trainee mentors.

The 2 1/2 hours spent focused on the basics of understanding self and identifying important qualities of a leader. As mentors we are to model qualities for our mentees to adopt and it is crucial that we appreciate who we are and where our strengths and weaknesses may lie.

Lead trainer, Miss Joanne Spence, shared extensively from her own experiences as a mentor and as a teacher/facilitator with the lads at the Youth Training Centre.

Miss Spence holds the attention of trainee mentors.

Miss Spence has had extensive experience in designing mentoring programs and training mentors for the University of the West Indies and the Ministry of National Security. She is the founder and President of The Mentoring Centre of Trinidad and Tobago.

Further mentor training is scheduled for early July, 2009 prior to a special mentor/mentee introduction event.

The purpose of the visit was to attend an orientation session hosted by Caribbean Umbrella Body For Restorative Behaviour (CURB) for prospective mentors for the lads at the institution.

We were honoured to have Prisons Officer Karl Muckette present a comprehensive Powerpoint presentation on the vision, mission and work of the Youth Training Centre.

Mr. Muckette is an officer with 15 years service, a rugby player, the coach of the YTC rugby team and a published author.

Following Mr. Muckette’s presentation, CURB’s Adrian N. Alexander delivered a Powerpoint overview of the YTC restorative mentoring programme.

Also on hand were Ms. Joanne Spence and Ms. Janice George of The Mentoring Centre of Trinidad and Tobago and Dr. Lincoln H. Douglas of Dadi Consulting – two agencies which have partnered with CURB in this initiative.

Ms. Spence spoke with the prospective mentors and interviewed them in a group setting. She will conduct mentor training for the successful applicants later this month.

The tribute took the form of a luncheon which was held on Sunday 3rd May, 2009 – one week before Mothers Day.

The event involved 25 committed lads and 25 remanded lads and their respective mothers. The committed lads involved in the programme are due for discharge within the next 12 months.

The mothers who braved the inclement weather were treated to a sumptuous lunch provided by the Prisons Service, delightful music and the Word from Minister Chris Herbert and singing from M.C. Wendell Bompart.

In addition, the ladies received beautiful Mothers Day presents from their sons and had an opportunity to interact with the lads in a relaxing ambience.

Tribute was also paid to female prison officers who have doubled as maternal figures for several of the lads at the institution.

CURB suggested this event as it forms part of the “Turning of the Hearts” model of family reintegration for offenders in preparation for their return to society.

We extend special thanks to Lawyers for Jesus, St. James Church of the Nazarene, Kenny’s Sports Centre and numerous committed volunteers, all of whom provided financial support and physical labour to make this inaugural event a success.

At that time the literacy programme was nearing completion and there was no confirmed source of funding for a new cycle. The quote from ALTA was much more than CURB could afford and still conduct our planned YTC programmes for the year.

Moreover, it was our desire to retain the services of ALTA to train officers and volunteers  in hosting Reading Circles whereby the lads could be assisted to improve their reading skills while in their dormitories or in the library.

Several of the persons present at the Christian group were moved by the presentation and orally committed to provide support towards partially offsetting the cost of hosting of a new cycle of literacy at the YTC in April, 2009.

In early April, however, the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) indicated to the YTC Superintendent and to ALTA that it would finance the next cycle of literacy at the institution.

Miraculously, this allowed us to utilise the contributions received from the Christian group to retain ALTA to conduct the Reading Circle training in July 2009!!!

In February, CFEO arranged training for prison volunteers in running the Youth Alpha course and CURB President, Mr. Adrian N. Alexander and Secretary, Miss Michelle Aigle, participated in the training sessions.

Mr. Alexander is the Caring for Ex-Offenders Adviser appointed by Alpha International based in the United Kingdom and is the Chairman of CFEO in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Youth Alpha initiative at the YTC receives full support from the Chaguanas Anglican Church and the St. James Church of the Nazarene.

For further information about Alpha courses in local prisons please visit the CFEO website.

This outcome arose in part from CURB acting as a mediator to encourage the prison officers to join our volunteers as we conducted remedial reading classes on Saturday mornings.

As a consequence, the lads who started literacy classes in 2008 would be able to graduate to a higher level and the officers who completed their mandatory volunteer hours of teaching would qualify to receive their certificates as ALTA tutors.

Alongside the ALTA classes our volunteers continued spiritual and moral literacy classes, using the most recognised literary work in the world – The Holy Bible – as a foundation.

Consequently, we submitted to the Superintendent of Prisons a life literacy programme to address the main areas of challenges faced by the lads at the institution.

The “Learning for Life” programme will involve a core group of 26 lads (inclusive of the 10 mentees) and will make provision for other lads at the institution to receive support in areas of standard literacy (reading, writing, spelling and numeracy skills), moral literacy, emotional literacy, spiritual literacy and financial literacy.

Discussions were engaged in by CURB with the Adult Literacy Tutors Association (ALTA) to resume literacy classes they had commenced in July-August 2008.