The Caribbean Umbrella Body for Restorative Behaviour (CURB) is the first and only Caribbean network of NGOs working to assist and support crime survivors, prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families... Find Out More

Vote in CURB RJ Poll

CURB would like to stimulate discussion among Caribbean nationals as to the manner in which we should implement restorative justice.

We have chosen to use an Online Poll to obtain your perspective on this important topic which is able to improve victim satisfaction and reduce crime and re-offending.

CURB To Tackle Prison Sexual Abuse

CURB has set its sights on the various institutions in Trinidad and Tobago which accommodate juvenile and adult offenders to highlight the incidences of sexual and other abuses against the inmates by staff and other inmates.

Since March 2007, CURB has been periodically exposing the abuses and lobbying for systemic changes to prevent their recurrence. Our efforts will culminate in November 2007 when we observe Restorative Justice Week with the theme "Not Part of the Sentence".

Community Focused Groups Meet on June 2

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Website | RJ Poll | Blog | Photos | Prayer

• In the R.J. Spotlight
• Victim's Friend Helps Killer Get Parole
• TT Bandit Apologises to Victims in Court
• RJ for Jamaican Schools
• Millions Paid in Criminal Restitution
• Haiti Faces Prison Overcrowding Crisis
• Vision On Mission Hosts Awards Function
• Restorative Justice Directory Coming
• And Much More Caribbean R.J. News!

Consultation on Ex-Prisoners' Accommodation

On 17th May, 2007 - exactly 6 months following the convening of the First National Stakeholders Consultation on Ex-Prisoners' Accommodation - CURB hosted the second leg of the consultations at the Ambassador Hotel in St. James, Trinidad.

Attendees represented several NGOs which provide support to prisoners and ex-prisoners and were treated to informative presentations from Mr. Gordon Husbands (Corrections Specialist with the Penal Reform Transformation Unit) and Mr. Dennis Williams (Chief Technical Officer with the Ministry of Social Development).

The Chairperson of the Consultation, Adrian N. Alexander of CURB, provided participants with a review of the first consultation and the major suggestions made thereat with respect to the types of facilities required for ex-prisoners as well as the types of programmes which were thought to be effective in producing continuous rehabilitation of ex-prisoners.

He also encouraged participants to consider the development of permanent supported housing units in addition to the transitional accommodation facilities they now operated. Such supportive housing units would serve to provide accommodation for the occupants of transitional accommodation facilities who obtained employment and needed more private accommodation for themselves and their families.

They were also more attractive to ex-prisoners who did not desire to submit to the rigid structure of transitional accommodation facilities but required the support services provided by operators of such facilities.

Mr. Husbands' presentation focused on the impact on the transitional accommodation facilities for ex-prisoners of parolees and deportees. He shared that while parole was still some years away from actual implementation in Trinidad and Tobago, the desire was for parolees to access the same facilities now utilised for ex-prisoners.

He informed participants that such a feature would require a vast change in the manner in which they operated and managed their facilities and encouraged them to consider specialisation in terms of the types of persons they accommodated and supported.

Mr. Williams' Address to the participants served to highlight the work of the Ex-Prisoners' Committee and the need for more work to be done to implement the Action Plan contained in the Report submitted by the Committee to Cabinet. Among the components of the Action Plan was the development of standards of operating and managing transitional accommodation facilities for ex-prisoners.

After the break, Mr. Williams' presentation targeted the various ways in which NGOs in this sector could become sustainable quite apart from reliance on Government funding. He was supported by Mr. Alexander who outlined a variety of programmes and activities which could be considered by NGOs to raise money for their facilities.

One of the participants, ex-offender Richard Barker (who is the founder of New Hope Prison Ministries), made an invaluable contribution as he outlined some of the strategies he has employed to sustain his ministry from 1983 to present without any assistance from the Government.

In what were highly spirited discussions, participants outlined their grievances with the tedious and often confusing process of applying for funding from the Ministry of Social Development.

Mr. Alexander requested that Mr. Williams convey these sentiments to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development and secure an opportunity for the NGOs in the sector to receive training in the form of workshop sessions to provide them with guidelines and precedents to successfully apply for funding for their work with ex-prisoners.

Among the documents circulated at the Consultation were draft Standards for Operating Transitional Accommodation Facilities as well as the Explanatory Note for a draft Bill to regulate the operation and management of such facilities.

Participants were encouraged to peruse the draft documents and submit their comments on the same to CURB by mid-June 2007 in order to enable a revised document to be prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Social Development by the end of June 2007.

CURB wishes to thank Mr. Gordon Husbands and Mr. Dennis Williams for their attendance and participation at the Consultation as well as the several NGOs which sent representatives.

Every criminal law practitioner in the Caribbean is familiar with the landmark decision of the Privy Council which held in 1994 that 2 persons on Death Row in Jamaica could no longer be hanged because the State had taken too long to execute them after they had been sentenced to death by the High Court.

In this way, Ivan Morgan and Earl Pratt who were convicted of the murder of their friend in 1977, shot into the regional spotlight. While Ivan Morgan died of natural causes in prison, Earl Pratt is now back on the streets of Jamaica on parole with the assistance of a close friend of his murder victim...Read Full Article

A Trinidad man who appeared before Justice Anthony Carmona (a former prosecutor) in the High Court recently surprised the court when he pleaded guilty to a string of robbery charges, extended a sincere apology to his victims and thanked and blessed the presiding judge.

Elliston Guppy, a father of two, was accused of robbing a group of four university students at gunpoint of cash and other valuables on March 16, 2004, at Mt. St. Benedict, St Augustine.

He pleaded guilty to the charges during the trial, and also said he wanted to plead guilty to another robbery charge that had been pending...Read Full Article

The Jamaican Government continues to demonstrate its commitment to implement restorative justice throughout the nation. In the latest move, the authorities have announced that it intends to make restorative justice an integral part of the curriculum in local schools.

Two overseas consultants have been recruited to help develop a policy on restorative justice, and help create the modules for introduction into teachers' colleges this September.

Once these time schedules are maintained, restorative justice as a subject could be introduced in local schools within two years...Read Full Article

On Wednesday 9th May, 2007 Mr. John Jeremie, Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago, announced in Parliament that the government has been awarded millions of dollars in criminal restitution by the United States courts in the aftermath of the successful prosecution of several persons connected to the TT$1.6 billion Piarco Airport scandal.

Another person convicted in the matter, Moriah Rodriquez, wrote a letter addressed to the people of Trinidad and Tobago in which he apologised for defrauding them...Read Full Article

War-ravaged Haiti now faces a new crisis - that of prison overcrowding - as the numbers of pre-trial detainees continue to rise.

In February 2004, the jails were emptied following the resignation of President Jean Bertrand Aristide. Since then the inefficiencies of the justice system have led to the increase in the average time in pre-trial detention from 76 days in September 2004 to 408 days in December 2006...Read Full Article

On 10th May 2007 one of the leading prison ministries in Trinidad and Tobago, Vision on Mission, held its inaugural Appreciation Awards ceremony at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Port of Spain.

Among the award recipients were well known national personalities, public servants, ex-offenders and private citizens who had contributed in one way or another to the growth and development of Vision on Mission.

The occasion also served to launch the Vision on Mission website which highlights the activities, events and achievements of this landmark organisation. The website address is... Read Full Article

In keeping with our promise made during Restorative Justice Week 2006, CURB is developing a Caribbean Restorative Justice Resource Directory. Agencies listed in this Directory can refer their clients (victims and or offenders) to any similar support organisation in the Caribbean or in the USA.

CURB encourages all individuals and agencies which provide support services to crime victims, prisoners, ex-prisoners and their respective families to Download a Resource Input Form and Email the completed form to us as soon as possible.