Support for criminal system underway

Jul 10, 2017 News

The Ministry of Legal Affairs is launching a project to provide support for the Criminal Justice System.
The general purpose of the project is to reduce the high concentration of the prison population in Guyana. This will be achieved by focusing on two specific objectives, as follows the reduction of the number of inmates on pre-trial detention; and increasing the use of alternative sentencing in Guyana.
The project will be launched today at the Guyana Marriott Hotel Georgetown.
Component 1 of the programme will deal with the reduction of the use of pre-trial detention. A pilot that will provide legal assistance to applicable non-violent offenders in pre-trial detention; enhancing the DPP and Police Prosecutors’ ability to handle cases before proceeding to trial; strengthening the Magistrates’ Court level of the Judiciary; a restorative Justice Pilot to solve minor offenses or disputes through alternatives to trial.
Component two will focus on the increase in the use of alternative sentencing, a pilot project implemented at Magistrate Court level to apply currently available alternatives to imprisonment to appropriate, non-violent offenders; strengthening of the probation service so it can perform adequate follow-ups of treatment delivered in and after prison, in order to better tend to the rehabilitative needs of those who present a lower risk of reoffending; strengthening of the Law Reform Commission in its role of drafting new legislation introducing non-custodial sanctions suitable for different types of offences and applicable to a variety of circumstances.
In 2016, Canada-funded project “Strengthening the Guyanese Criminal Justice System” was launched.
The Government of Canada, through its Anti-Crime Capacity Building Programme (ACCBP), is providing funds to the Canadian NGO, the Justice Education Society (JES), to implement this project over a two-year period to the tune of C’dn$750,000 ($106 million).
This is Canada’s largest bilateral project with Guyana. The goal of the JES project is to develop the technical capacity of the police, police prosecutors, state prosecutors and magistrates to collect, analyze and present forensic evidence as a means of decreasing impunity rates.
The JES team had visited Guyana and commenced training activities within the Guyana Police Force on Major Case Management, Forensic Video Analysis and Crime Scene Management.
JES is a Canadian non-profit organization with an impressive record of improving the effectiveness of justice systems in Canada and around the world.
The JES programme in Central America has resulted in increased efficiency of criminal investigations, greater collaboration between institutions and reduced impunity rates. For example, in Guatemala, between 2009 and 2013, the conviction rate for violent crimes increased from five to 29 percent.
The Justice Education Society (JES) programme is towards ensuring that Guyana capacity in solving crime by training police prosecutors, crime scene investigators, state prosecutors, magistrates and forensic experts is heightened.
The project entailed intense consultation with stakeholders and views on crime prevention, criminal investigation and case management, the Guyana /Canada continuous cooperation has contributed greatly to the development of an even closer relationship between the criminal justice administrations of our two countries, Guyana and Canada.

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