he ​ OECS Opportunities to Advance and Support Youth for Success (OASYS)Project recently reached a major milestone in the reform of youth justice in the OECS. 

On Friday, November 1, 2024, the Director General of the Organisation for Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), His Excellency Dr Didacus Jules and His Lordship, the Honourable Mr Mario Michel, Chief Justice (Ag.) of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) signed a Sub-Grant Agreement under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded OASYS Project. Through this initiative, the court will be able to use counselling, mediation and alternative sentencing mechanisms to divert children and youth in conflict with the law away from incarceration and towards rehabilitation.

Delivering remarks at the commemorative signing ceremony, the Director General of the OECS, Dr Didacus Jules highlighted the significance of transforming youth justice. He stated:

“Today we’re not merely signing an agreement, we are signalling our commitment to transformative justice that empowers, support and guides our youth towards brighter, more resilient futures. Through this OASYS initiative funded by our steadfast partner the USAID, we are embarking on a journey to show how we handle youth in conflict with the law.”

His Lordship, the Honourable Mr Mario Mitchel, Chief Justice (Ag.) of the ECSC highlighted the creation of the Family Division and criminal mediation focusing on children and youth in conflict with the law:

“This Sub-Grant Agreement which we have entered into with the OECS for the introduction of criminal mediation in the court system and the full establishment of a Family Division of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court is more than welcome. All the more so because the special focus of the project is on children and youth in conflict with the law with the aim of devising a more holistic and humanistic approach to addressing social issues manifested in addressing juvenile delinquency and criminality.” 

Deputy Director, General Development Office, USAID/Eastern and Southern Caribbean, Ms. Aurore Dorelien, speaking at the event, emphasized the societal impact:

“Through this grant USAID is really proud to partner with the OECS Commission and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court to provide alternative pathways. Together we’re not just reducing the case backlog, we’re building a foundation for a more just society. One that values the rehabilitation of youth and at the same time provides them with the support and guidelines that they need to be on the right path.” 

The OASYS project seeks to address the critical need to strengthen the overall youth justice system in the OECS.

About OASYS

The ​ OECS OASYS project focuses on providing avenues for the diversion of children and youth between ages ten (10) to twenty-nine (29) who are in conflict with the law away from courts and custodial sentences. The project promotes rehabilitative programs to prevent future delinquency as well as reduce recidivism (i.e. the tendency to return to criminal behaviour) and facilitates their reintegration into their families and communities. 

The OASYS Project is funded by USAID and is implemented by the OECS Commission. The benefitting OECS Member States are Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. 

By Malika Thompson-Cenac

Communications Specialist, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States