Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/2363/-1/135/
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UNDER CONSIDERATION: Probation An Alternative To Prison
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Anguilla is to follow a developing pattern in a new approach by the criminal justice system to deal with persons coming into conflict with the law and to find an alternative for them rather than prison.
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Mr. Foster Rogers and Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake
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The alternative, the Anguilla Probation Service, was launched on Tuesday, April 19, at a workshop at the Teachers’ Resource Centre. It is “not a slap on the wrist” and no comfort to would-be criminals however. This is because to be put on probation is a form of punishment which must have certain strict rules to have the desired effect of reforming the lives of offenders and returning them to their families and the community as productive and disciplined citizens.
Persons not eligible for probation under the community corrections programme are violent offenders; those convicted of murder, attempted murder; sex crimes such as rape; offenders convicted of kidnapping; chronic offenders; and persons convicted of drug trafficking and arson.
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A section of the workshop participants
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Those who participated in the workshop, referred to above, were representatives of Non-Governmental Organisations, the Clergy and Government Agencies.
An address prepared by Minister of Social Development, Evans Rogers, and read on his behalf by his Permanent Secretary, Foster Rogers, at the opening ceremony of the workshop, gave a comprehensive overview of the plan. The Minister, whose address is printed on page 3, said the probation service was structured to deal with both youth and adult offenders. He saw probation as “a ray of hope” for criminals involved in a first offence and in a less deterrent offence. Noting that the island’s prison population mainly comprised young men, he remarked that “there must be a better way of rehabilitating them.”
The Permanent Secretary, Foster Rogers, in delivering his own address, stated that the Ministry was advocating that “community correction programmes are more effective than incarceration.”
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A section of the workshop participants
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Mr. Rogers went on: “Furthermore, community correction programmes spare offenders many of the negative effects of incarceration. They also facilitate many of the factors associated with an offender’s successful re-integration into the community. The proven ineffectiveness of incarceration in reducing recidivism (repeat offending) and the perceived effectiveness of community corrections have led the Government of Anguilla to establish a Probations Unit in the Ministry of Social Services. The challenge now is to re-direct funding to make this unit effective and also to obtain the buy-in of the judicial system that the Anguilla Probation Service is credible and a real alternative to sentencing.”
Social Development Planner, Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake, told the workshop participants that a small but steady crime rate was being addressed by a disproportionate use of imprisonment. She was of the view that “imprisonment can have a detrimental effect on individuals and in particular young people.”
She continued: “Its limited use as a deterrent from crime can actually reinforce criminal attitudes and often, inadvertently, removes any sense of personal responsibility for offending behaviour. Imprisonment also prevents offenders from being gainfully employed and supporting their families. Moreover, it offers very little returns in terms of retribution to society.
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A section of the workshop participants
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“In recent years, the United Nations and other international bodies have widely recommended the increased use of non-custodial sanctions. Alternatives to imprisonment are very important in that they provide ways to re-direct persons away from crime and towards becoming contributory and law-abiding citizens.
“With the advent of the Anguilla Probation Service the courts are now able to impose non-custodial sanctions such as probation, community service…with the assurance that these orders are going to be appropriately supervised.
“Probation is not merely a slap on the wrist. What it does is restricts offenders’ liberty at the same time providing them an opportunity to make some retribution to the community. In order to have an effective community service programme, undoubtedly involves all of our community partners and that is why we have you here today,” Dr. Bonnie Richardon-Lake told the workshop participants.
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Jocelyn Johnson-Carty
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In addition to her, the facilitators of the workshop were Chief Probation Officer, Jocelyn Johnson-Carty, and Senior Probation Officer, Christine Brooks. In opening the workshop session, Mrs. Johnson-Carty emphasised that probation was a form of punishment and therefore was not to be taken lightly.
In her overview, she said the mission statement of the Anguilla Probation Service was “to assist the Court by providing offenders, under our supervision, the opportunity to make positive behavioral changes… in an effort to promote and enhance the safety and security of the Anguillian community.”
The workshop was aimed at informing the participants on the role and function of the Anguilla Probation Service; on non-custodial sentences as suitable alternatives to incarceration; explaining community service in terms of probation; and outlining the role of partners, agencies, beneficiaries and supervisors.
The broad aims of the Anguilla Probation Service were outlined as follows: to assist offenders living in Anguilla to become productive and contributing members of society; in creating a better understanding of their maladaptive an anti-social thinking and behaviour; to assist in improving the social responsibility of offenders in an effort to promote re-integration; to assist in creating a safer community that works in partnership to minimise the risks of offending/re-offending and victimisation; to establish prevention strategies in collaboration with relevant stakeholders;
To reduce the incidence and impact of crime on Anguilla by providing consequences for behaviour as well as programmes and services for offenders that encourage and facilitate law abiding behaviour; to promote probation staff safety through information, education and training; and to promote continuing education of probation staff in order to enhance the services offered to offenders.
Under a Community Service Order imposed by a court on a wide range of offences, offenders will be required to perform unpaid and useful work for the benefit of the society.