By S Coward

OAS Gathers Chief Justices and More than 60 Professionals from the Health and Justice Systems from the Caribbean to Consolidate Drug Treatment Courts

The Organization of American States (OAS), in cooperation with the Canadian Association of Drug Treatment Court Professionals (CADTCP), through its National Problem Solving Court Institute (NPSCI), will hold March 18-21, 2014 a Drug Treatment Court (DTC) Exchange and On-Site Study Program event for four Caribbean countries (Jamaica, Belize, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago) in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

The workshop is organized under the umbrella of the Drug Treatment Courts Program in the Americas, an initiative coordinated by the OAS Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD). Authorities present during the event will include the Chief Justices of Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, the Attorney General of Barbados, and the four Chief Magistrates of all four countries. In addition, each country will attend with the participation of their DTC teams (judges, magistrates, prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, and treatment providers). The opening ceremony will be held on March 19, at the Westin Bayshore Hotel, Vancouver.

Three of the participating countries have already launched DTC pilots thanks to OAS support with Canada’s contributions: Trinidad and Tobago has one court running, Jamaica currently has three in operation, and Barbados just launched its first. Trinidad and Tobago will launch its first Juvenile Court and second Adult Court in the next months. Finally, Belize is in its exploration phase.

This activity has been possible thanks to the financial support and leadership of the Government of Canada. The OAS Drug Treatment Court Program for the Americas is an initiative that responds to the OAS Drug Hemispheric Strategy, which calls for countries to explore alternatives to incarceration for drug dependent offenders.

WHAT: Drug Treatment Court (DTC) Exchange and On-Site Study Program event

WHEN: March 18-21, 2014

WHERE: Westin Bayshore Hotel, Vancouver, BC, Canada