Ministry of Legal Affairs – Press Release
Attorney General Chambers and
Ministry of Legal Affairs
95 Carmichael Street
North Cummingsburg
Georgetown
Tel. No. (592)225-3607
Dear Media Operatives,
On Monday March 11th, 2019 The Honorable Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Basil Williams SC, MP and his team from the Support for the Criminal Justice Program, launched a two days Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) training workshop at the Regency Suites Hotel. The training focused on the substantive and procedural issues for legal aid services with specific emphasis on the roles and responsibilities of legal aid providers during investigations, arrest, pre-trial detention, bail hearings, trials, appeals and other proceedings to ensure that human rights are protected. In attendance were over seventy- eight (78) persons from various agencies which included Probation and Social Services officers, Ministry of Social Protection; Prison Services Officers, Ministry of Public Security; State Prosecutors, Office of Director of Public Prosecutors; Guyana Legal Aid Clinic, Nations University and the Department of Law, University of Guyana.
The Ministry intends to adopt a pro-active approach in providing support for those persons on remand for minor nonviolent offences who cannot afford representation. This training is the first of many programs to strengthen representation skills among aid providers.
Through the Support for the Criminal Justice Program, the Ministry is championing the implementation of other interventions in its comprehensive work plan for the year 2019.
In 2018, the Ministry completed an assessment of the Probation and Social Services Department and developed an action plan for strengthening this arm of the justice system.
In 2019, the Ministry of Legal Affairs would be refurbishing the Probation Office in Cornhill Street, and provide with office equipment and technology for a fully functional office. Moreover, the provision of safety equipment and regularization of the organizational structure of this unit is priority.
Further, by August 2019, another training program will be undertaken to develop staff of the Probation and Social Services Department to deal with individual cases and to provide the oversight required. These reforms are intended to align the Probation and Social Services Department with international best practices.
Critical in our work is the Ministry of Legal Affairs taking lead in setting up a Community Service Order program. Community service is an option the court may use when it has decided that a person offending is remorseful enough and that he/she is suitable to make reparation by constructive unpaid work in the community.
The objectives of community service, or, what a community service order hopes to achieve, involve the reintegration of the offender into the community by enforcing the discipline of positive and demanding unpaid work, ensuring that the work provides reparation to the community, making good the damage done by offending. Moreover, a community service order may achieve a reduced risk of recidivism or repeat offending, and an increased chance of rehabilitating the offender to acceptable social standards.
The Ministry of Legal Affairs is also leading the implementation of Restorative Justice Practices in Guyana. The Ministry is currently reviewing the draft Restorative Justice Act, guidelines for operations, and Policies and Procedures for Restorative Justice Practices.
In 2019, The Ministry will be conducting a number of training activities for Restorative Justice Officers, various Sensitization activities and start setting up an office for Restorative Justice.
The Ministry is starting its work for the implementation of case management systems in the Probation and Social Services Department, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutors & Police Prosecutors, the Restorative Justice Office and Magistrates courts. The Ministry is looking to have these systems connected to the High Courts, the Prison and Police. The vision of the Ministry is to allow agencies to be communicating so that decisions can be made speedily. This operation will allow for greater productivity. The Ministry hopes to complete these systems implementation by mid-2020.
The Ministry is working on various pieces of legislation which will allow the proper use of alternative sentencing in Guyana. By the end of April we will finish the review of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act Chapter 8:02 which will make provisions for wider use of alternative sentences, and by the end of 2019 we will have a Bail Act drafted.
In 2019 the program has slated training activities on Alternative Sentencing, training for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutor and Police Prosecutors, training for Probation and Social Services Officers, training for Restorative Justice and Leadership training.
These initiatives are all part of the Support for the Criminal Justice System’s effort to reduce the number of inmates on Pre-trial detention and to increase the use of alternative sentencing.
Regards,
Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs.