The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

EXPERTS will examine how offenders and juvenile delinquents can be better helped back into normal life after they get out of prison.

With the country’s repeat offender rate a problem, tomorrow’s second annual Project Re-Entry Conference is hosted by the National LEAD Institute with the US Embassy and the Ministry of National Security, and will run to November 2 at police headquarters.

The conference will feature experts from the United States and the Cayman Islands as well as Bahamians.

Prime Minister Perry Christie is also expected to speak.

According to the project’s director and LEAD’s vice president, Lisa Bowleg, who will be speaking, Project Re-Entry helps offenders from Her Majesty’s Prison, the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys and the Willie Mae Pratt Centre for Girls.

“Project Re-Entry is basically a process, not just a programme,” she said. “It assists persons who have been incarcerated in the prison system or the juvenile correctional system. We go in and we provide training and education as they are coming out, but when they do come out, the programme actually continues. We have a pre and post release programme”

Job readiness and conflict resolution training are two examples of the services offenders receive through the project, Mrs Bowleg said.

“As we see the plight of crime escalating in our country, we know that all are concerned about this,” she said.

“Our focus is trying to get persons to come in - correctional officers, social workers, persons working with young persons in the community - to come to this conference so they can be provided with the knowledge that we have, so we are able to partner together and help to eradicate crime in our country.”

The LEAD’s president and CEO, Troy Clarke, who will also be speaking at the conference, said it will be operating under the theme ‘Stop The Madness.’

He said: “We’re looking at being more thought-provoking and I would want to say controversial because we will be making some new recommendations where certain agencies will be moved from and placed under.

“We’re asking church prison ministries, faith based organisations, NGOs, correction officers, police officers, defence force officers, youth workers, and urban renewal workers to come out because this conference is a training conference.”

The Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force are also partners.

RBDF Commanding Officer Carlon Bethell said the LEAD Institute is considered to be an important venture by the force.

“The recidivism rate in the country is a problem,” he said. “If were serious about it we’re going to have to look at research based programs. The National LEAD Institute has spearheaded this and taken the lead.”

RBPF Inspector Anthony Rolle said: “This programme is extremely important to us because these juveniles or adult offenders who are being reintegrated back into society, they are coming back into our various communities. We feel that this programme is a must.”

Mr Clarke said the recidivism rate had decreased at the prison as a result of the Project Re-entry Programme’s partnership with the prison system.

“The success rate is really good,” he said.

The conference costs $75 for the full three days and persons interested are asked to register at police headquarters.

The keynote speaker will be Bahamian Dr Myles Munroe. Also speaking in addition to Mrs Bowleg and Mr Clarke, are Professor Ortharine Williams of Georgia; attorney Gwendolyn Burrell of North Carolina and Teresa Linda Bowen of the Cayman Islands.