“Fresh Start” Group Launches Dream Project 

Business leaders of the Cayman Islands have come together with rehabilitation workers in the public sector to address the issue of crime prevention – specifically, inmate reoffending.

The owners, managers and directors of prominent local businesses such as Kirk Home Centre, Solomon Harris, McAlpine, Comfort Suites and Burger King, as well as The Bridge Foundation, teamed up late last year with senior government officials to develop the Fresh Start Committee, a programme for the employment of ex-offenders.

Fresh Start held its first meeting last month, focusing on finding solutions to address the difficulties that inmates face on their return to society. Members say that over the years this issue has become accepted worldwide as a significant cause of reoffending.

Participating public sector agencies include the Governor’s Office, the Department of Community Rehabilitation, the Prison Service and the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs as well as the National Workforce Development Agency (formerly the Department of Employment Relations).

Former Maples and Calder managing partner and Law Society president, Charles Jennings, co-chairs the Committee alongside Acting Deputy Prison Director, Aduke Joseph-Caesar.

The Committee is already exploring means by which offenders can be re-introduced to employment, thereby reducing crime and recidivism.

Mr. Jennings told members, “Our mission is not only to bring to reality the overwhelming benefits that are possible, but also to emphasise to employers that the mind-set of co-workers and customers will have to change.”

The Fresh Start approach is both security-based and clinical, and will start with a pilot programme in March.  Each participating inmate will be assessed by the prison’s psychologist, who joins the staff that month, and a tailored treatment regime will then be developed for that inmate.

This will include factors such as behaviour modification, assessment of educational and vocational capacities and needs, as well as determining drug abuse treatments and the inmate’s mental health.

The pilot will focus on employability and skills, from an inmate’s first day behind bars until the time he or she is released. In addition, each inmate will be allocated an actual job while incarcerated, while also being in a relevant treatment plan to address other relevant issues.

The goal is to introduce to inmates or develop conditions which will allow them to cope with the challenges of living and working in a small community upon release.

“Our job will be to introduce prisoners to the world of work and all that that implies, and to reach out to businesses to see who can be placed where,” said Mr. Jennings.

“We have no illusions about how successful this will be and we’re going to take it one step at a time.  We realise that in all cases it’s a matter of ‘horses for courses’.

But we also maintain that if society never tries to reintegrate former inmates in a planned and structured way, these problems will continue, and indeed multiply, forever.”

The Committee is focusing on how to implement the recommendations of the 2012 report of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) which was commissioned by the Cayman Islands Government.

Public sector officials say that the inclusion of the private sector and the wider public was considered key to addressing recommendations surrounding rehabilitation.

Amongst its findings, the IPAC Report states: “As financial pressures increase on governments, opportunities for public/private partnerships are an important area to explore, particularly in areas that contribute to the goals of rehabilitation. Private stakeholders… recognize that it is a key component of the crime prevention strategy and they are committed to increased safety in their community.”

It goes on to suggest a community-employment programme that would enable the private sector to not only champion the cause, but also grow it into a broader national plan for crime prevention and rehabilitation.

The following are comments by “Fresh Start” members:

“What is being done here is miraculous.” – Bud Volinski, Manager of The Bridge Foundation (a drug rehabilitation half-way house).

“We are using very scientific methods… very unique, tailored plans.  We hope to achieve positive re-entry into society using our new philosophy, which is simply a mirror of what is expected by the society.  However, there needs to be mutual trust in the process.” – Acting Deputy Director of Prisons, Natalie Aduke Caesar.

“It’s great that we now have credible members of society to champion the cause of facilitating the employment of prisoners. At the same time, the inmates also need more discipline and purposeful activity, to keep up with the expectations of society.” – Acting Prison Director Daniel Greaves.

“Some cases have been washouts, but others have been successful… the factor which makes the difference is each inmate’s desire to succeed.” – Governor’s Office representative, Mr. Tom Hines.

“This is very exciting moment for the Portfolio. Empowerment is one of the critical factors for rehabilitating offenders and breaking the ‘revolving-door’ syndrome.  There’s no way this can be viable without our private sector partners.” – Kathryn Dinspel-Powell, Chief Officer, Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs

“There is a stigma attached to a criminal record and challenges for offenders to secure employment upon release from the prison. If offenders are not able to secure employment the likelihood of their reoffending is significantly higher. Therefore it is in the interests of the private sector to partner in creating work opportunities that allow offenders to become contributing members of the community.” – IPAC Report

“Perceptions will only be changed when inmates become marketable and employable.” – Chief Officer, Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs, Eric Bush.

“The main challenge will be parolees who have no marketable skills. We have already had many success stories from our six-week “Work Skills” programme.” –  Jean Solomon, Coordinator, National Workforce Development Agency (formerly Department of employment Relations).

“In addition to my staff, we have the committed support of over 400 members of the wider society.” – Teresa Echenique Bowen, Department of Community Rehabilitation.

“To counter the very unforgiving attitudes in society, the many success stories have to be told!” – Acting Prison Director Daniel Greaves.

“One potential barrier to employing offenders upon release… [is] the lack of or inadequate job skills. A second barrier is that many employment applications, including those for government positions, require disclosure of a criminal record. …While the job skills gap can and should be addressed while the offender is incarcerated, some incentive needs to be put in place to encourage employers to invest in the training of these offenders upon release… to support the offender during transition, and facilitate the offender becoming a contributing member of the community.” – IPAC Report

“Fresh Start” Committee Members:

The members of the Fresh Start Committee are as follows:-

Co-chair – Charles Jennings a former managing partner of Maples and Calder (retired 2009) and President of the Cayman Islands Law Society from 2001-2012. A member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission and Chairman of the Financial Services Legislative Committee.  A co-founding member of The Bridge Foundation, a halfway-house for addicts.  Charles also contributed private sector input to the IPAC report.

Co-chair – Aduke Natalie Joseph-Caesar. Acting Deputy Director, HMCIPS. MSc (with Distinction) in counseling, and currently completing a Penology Masters at the University of Cambridge.  A correction professional for over 15 years, Aduke specialises in working with at-risk inmates. She “concentrates on employing strategies to foster a positive rehabilitation program and environment”.

Government representatives:

Daniel Greaves, Acting Director, HMCIPS

Tom Hines (representing HE the Governor)

Teresa Echenique Bowen, Department of Community Rehabilitation

Lois Kellyman/Ms. Jean Solomon, National Workforce Development Agency

Private sector representatives:

Tom Mason, Comfort Suites

Brigitte Kirkconnell Shaughness, Kirk Home Center

Ian Pairaudeau, McAlpine

Sophia Harris, Solomon Harris

Gary Rutty, Burger King

Bud Volinsky, Co-Founding Member, The Bridge Foundation.

[The Fresh Start Committee will be assisted by other public/private sector representatives as identified by the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs.]