THE new Restorative Justice drive and 2023 Action Plan were formally introduced by Seelall Persaud, Director of the Restorative Justice Centre, during a recent meeting with prison officials.
The Restorative Justice Act was passed by Parliament earlier this year to address prison overcrowding by decreasing pre-trial detention, lowering recidivism, and promoting the use of alternative sentencing, among other measures.

To this end, a new Restorative Justice Centre was established which will be working with perpetrators and victims of soft crimes with the aim of resolving interpersonal conflicts.
Mr. Persaud informed the officials that the Centre plans to collaborate with the prison service to teach emotional skills to imprisoned individuals for success inside and outside of prison.
The Restorative Justice Centre’s 2023 plan involves training and mentoring prison officers to become leaders in the Restorative Justice process for inmates. This is necessary to prepare probation professionals to promote rehabilitation and reintegration according to Restorative Justice principles. This training can help inmates prepare for re-entry into society.
The Director of the Restorative Justice Centre highlighted the progress made in establishing trustworthy support systems in chosen communities, as well as the vision for starting the case management system outlined in the Restorative Justice Act.

Meanwhile, Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, thanked Mr. Persaud for the visit, and stated that the prison service was delighted to play its part in Restorative Justice.
Additionally, Deputy Director of Prisons, Kevin Pilgrim, Head of the Prison Service’s Strategic Management Department, Rae-Dawn Corbin-Cameron and Welfare and Correctional Officer, Tassa McGarrell were also part of the meeting.