Efforts of Drug Treatment Court lauded
Mon, 09/12/2016 - 12:00am
IT costs approximately $30 000 annually to maintain one inmate at HMP Dodds.
For this reason Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson is lauding rehabilitative efforts of the Drug Treatment Court (DTC) to reduce the number of persons going to prison while bringing significant savings to the Government of Barbados in the process.
Thanking now Justice Pamela Beckles, then the Drug Treatment Court Judge and the other principals who made the Court a success, including OAS and the Canadian Government and Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, he revealed that 11 clients graduated earlier this year and that the second cohort recently started the programme.
“I can say at this juncture that in July this year, we enrolled the second class of Drug Treatment clients. That class comprises 20 persons whom we hope to divert from drug addiction. Unlike the first class where the drug of choice was marijuana, in this second group, the drugs include harder substances like cocaine,” he said.
The Chief Justice revealed that the new Drug Treatment Court Judge is being headed by Magistrate Graveney Bannister, whom he noted has acquired much experience with the DTC programme, while he was a magistrate there.
One of the rehabilitative components of the programme will be working with the Nature Fun Ranch, operated by Corey Layne,which he explained is intended to introduce troubled and misdirected persons to the world of animal husbandry and agriculture.
According to the Chief Justice, “Mr Layne would suggest this would be a good diversion for those who are battling addiction and looking for something in which to place their attention. A recent meeting of the DTC, Magistrate Bannister and I introduced the NFR to the class and we look forward to being able to incorporate this as part of the therapy,” he said.
The Barbados Drug Treatment Court is a Magistrates’ Court, and persons charged with non-violent related offences, whose drug addiction or dependency is a factor in the commission of their crimes, are eligible to participate in the programme. (JH)