THE incarceration of children for petty offences such as wandering will be addressed when the government unveils a new legal aid programme next year.
The programme, which will work on the defence of minors and non-violent offenders who are on pre-trial detention, is part of the government‘s efforts to streamline a budget that is more child-focused and youth-friendly, Finance Minister, Winston Jordan said in a budget speech on Monday.
“It is not the wish of this administration to have children and youth incarcerated for petty offences, such as wandering. To continue to do so would be to deprive this nation of the true potential of its rich human capital,” Jordan said. He added that by the end of 2018, the programme will commence work on the over 500 cases of the aforementioned type, on assessing the sustainability of this pilot legal aid programme, and on providing capacity-building to non-governmental organisations that share a similar objective.
Jordan said the government’s work on the new legal aid programme, is all part of a broader vision, which seeks to reduce the burden on our prisons, allowing for a more people-focused, and an efficient justice system. It also allows for more effective use of our limited financial and human resources. Alongside the legal aid programme, the administration will be establishing a Law Reform Commission, in the new year, which will work on amending and modernising our legislation to cater for non-custodial sanctions for various types of offence, the finance minister noted.
Additionally, Jordan mentioned that Guyana is the first country in the Caribbean to have established a specialised court for sexual offences that is sensitive to the needs and circumstances of victims. This court, he said, will hear all indictable sexual offence cases, and will offer a rights-based approach, in recognition that victims tended to be re-victimised under the previous format.
As such, the court has been outfitted with protective screens and dedicated rooms, among other features. To support the operations of the court, model guidelines for sexual offence cases were developed, taking into account international best practices for the management of such cases.
Jordan said too that the laying and passage of the Juvenile Justice Bill, which addresses diversionary options and access to legal aid for our children and youth, is anxiously awaited. In the meanwhile, the Bill is being costed so that its potential for additional financial responsibility or for savings to the taxpayer can be identified.
The finance minister also told the House that the current system that incarcerates a person for the usage of harmful substances will be re-examined. “Our people need our compassion and our help so that they can be rehabilitated and given the support they need to live healthy and productive lives.
In 2018, we will be conducting a study on appropriate treatments for substance abuse, as a health issue within the criminal justice system. This will inform our interaction with the judiciary, as we assist in developing policies to reduce over-reliance on imprisonment. Probation services will also be strengthened to support this paradigm shift,” he said.
