The Caribbean Umbrella Body for Restorative Behaviour (CURB) is a Caribbean network of NGOs working to assist and support crime survivors, prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families. Click Here for a Flash file about CURB or visit our website to Find Out More.

Vote Now in Caribbean RJ Survey.

CURB would like to stimulate discussion in Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean jurisdictions as to the manner in which we in the region should implement restorative justice. Cast your vote in our Online RJ Survey on this important topic. Go to our Online Survey to cast your vote.

Search Caribbean RJ Directory.

Need to find a prison ministry or support service for crime survivors in the Caribbean? Then search the Caribbean RJ Resource Directory which lists various agencies which provide support to crime survivors, prisoners, ex-prisoners and their respective families.

Caribbean RJ Events Calendar.

CURB also provides a Caribbean Restorative Justice Events Calendar at our website. This tool will help to network providers of crime victim support, offender support, restorative justice and therapeutic jurisprudence by allowing them to Add their events hosted in the Caribbean for FREE. The calendar is available online Here.

Caribbean RJ Audio Feed.

CURB offers an audio version of our Blog articles and of The Restorative Review for persons "on the go". You can listen to our Blog and this newsletter or download an MP3 file or subscribe to a Podcast from the AudioFeed link on the Newsletter page of our website.

Stop Prison Abuse Blog.

CURB is committed to highlighting and eliminating prison sexual assault and abuse in the Caribbean. We encourage you to visit the Stop Prison Abuse website for more information and subscribe to the Stop Prison Abuse Blog.

Excerpts from the Stop Prison Abuse blog will be included in our monthly newsletters together with news from the restorative justice and criminal justice reform fields. Audio versions of our Stop Prison Abuse project blog posts are available from the News page of the Stop Prison Abuse website.

The CURB Restorative Justice Fund was set up to provide support to primary and secondary crime survivors. For more information about the CURB RJ Fund please visit the RJ Fund Page or download our RJ Fund Brochure.

To contribute to primary and secondary crime survivors via the RJ Fund, please Contact CURB.

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Miss Joanne Spence - Trinidad and Tobago.

This month, CURB takes pleasure in focusing on the exemplary restorative justice work of Miss Joanne Spence from the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Miss Spence is presently a developmental consultant and the manager of the mediation centres in central Trinidad. She holds a Masters Degree in Mediation, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Mediation and Conflict Resolution and a Bachelors Degree in Social Work with a minor in Management Information Systems.

In addition, Joanne has attained several certificates in areas of Project Management, Public Relations, Social Marketing, Family Crisis Intervention and Family Mediation. Her qualifications and experience have led to Joanne being a certified mediator with the Mediation Board of Trinidad and Tobago. To date, she has supervised more than 80 court referred and self referred mediation cases.

Joanne is an active social work practitioner and in 2005, under the Ministry of Social Development, she initiated a programme for the rehabilitation of deportees returning to Trinidad and Tobago. This initiative included the provision of housing, family contact, mediation, access to training and employment and counselling. During this period, she was a member of a Cabinet-appointed committee to address the issue of the rehabilitation of deportees.

Her passion for youth has led Joanne to establish a non-governmental organisation known as The Mentoring Centre of Trinidad and Tobago. This institution aims to provide support to at-risk youths throughout Trinidad and Tobago.

Joanne is an advisor to the Board of Directors of Zoe Foundation, a mentor in the University of the West Indies Mentorship Programme, Director of HEAT Consulting and a member of the Social Workers Association of Trinidad and Tobago. Recently, she participated in a 3-day Sub-Regional Consultation on Capacity Building for Peaceful Management of Conflict in Santo Domingo in 2007.

Joanne has pioneered several mentoring programmes in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. She has also designed and implemented mentoring programmes for governmental institutions and is a training provider for conflict resolution, mentoring and life skills.

She is the author of four books, three on mentoring and the fourth a motivational book. Joanne may be contacted at 868-672-1248.

Belize Sets Up New Crimes Commission.

Update on Stop Prison Abuse Project.

In Trinidad and Tobago, CURB has been working quietly behind the scenes to secure a visit to the twin-island nation by representatives of the international organisation, Stop Prisoner Rape... (Read More OR Listen).

Judge Slams BVI Prisons Lack of Juvenile Facilities.

Justice Charles of the British Virgin Islands expressed concern that the prison is ill-prepared to deal with a long-term juvenile inmate. She said juveniles in adult facilities are extremely vulnerable from not only adult inmates but also from abuses from untrained staff... (Read More OR Listen).

No Condoms For Bajan Prisons.

The Barbados Minister of Family said her government would utilise a variety of strategies to encourage prisoners who have been sexually assaulted and abused in custody to come forward to receive competent and effective counselling, treatment and care... (Read More OR Listen).

Mystery Death in TT Prison of Child-Killer.

In Trinidad and Tobago, there has been yet another prison inmate death, purportedly by suicide. CURB is alarmed at the rate of self harm which has occurred in Trinidad and Tobago prisons in recent years... (Read More OR Listen).

New BVI Prison To Maintain Human Rights.

BVI Minister for Prisons, Andrew Fahie stated that any person who is detained has the right to conditions of detention that are consistent with human dignity, adequate accommodation, proper nutrition and medical treatment... (Read More OR Listen).