Caribbean member states engaged on alternative sentencing of drug related offenses
DPI, Guyana, Monday, June 11, 2018
Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, Acting Chief Justice, Roxanne George-Wiltshire, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Dion Mc Calmont and National Anti-Narcotics Agency Head Michael Atherly are on an official five-day visit to the United States of America.
They, along with officials from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, will attend meetings in Chicago and New York, aimed at exploring Problem Solving Courts and Alternatives to Incarceration for drug related offences.
Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence.
The meetings end on June 15. They will provide the opportunity for the high-level decision makers of Caribbean countries to experience innovative models first hand and to ask questions of those directly involved in programmes’ implementation and operation.
The initiative is a result of a commitment made by the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (ES/CICAD) and Secretariat for Multidimensional Security of the Organization of American States (OAS). The commitment embodies the goal of providing technical assistance to OAS member states in the implementation of alternatives to incarceration programmes.
ES/CICAD is currently supporting the development and/or implementation of various problem-solving court models including, but not limited to, drug treatment courts for adults and juveniles, diversion programmes, re-entry courts as well as community courts.
For the visit, ES/CICAD has also partnered with the Chicago based Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC) and the New York City based Centre for Court Innovation (CCI). Both organisations are recognised in the field for their commitment to design, implementation and promotion of alternatives to incarceration. Additionally, they play a critical role in monitoring and evaluating alternatives under rigorous scientific scrutiny.
The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission is the western hemisphere’s policy forum for dealing with existing drug problems. The CICAD Executive Secretariat supports the commission by strengthening the human and institutional capabilities and channelling the collective efforts of its member states to reduce the production, trafficking and use of illegal drugs.
By: Delicia Haynes.