Prisoners face housing challenges post-release
(CNS): The lack of appropriate residential facilities for prisoners being released on licence is causing concern for the Conditional Release Board (formerly the Parole Board), which has called for the government to focus on improving rehabilitation services rather than tougher sentences. The board said those being released need support to help them stay out of jail.
As Deputy Governor Franz Manderson presented the board’s latest report, spanning the last four years, to parliament, he stressed the link between a support network and the success of released offenders.
The inadequate provision of places for inmates being released to stay is presenting significant challenges and impacting the reintegration of prisons back into society, Manderson said as he summarised the report. When it comes to dealing with recidivism, the board believes the focus should be on post-prison support and not tougher sentences.
“The board advocates a holistic approach that addresses the root causes of offending behaviour, emphasises rehabilitative programmes and post-release support,” he stated.
Between 2018 and 2022 the board has dealt with between 64-75 applications each year for conditional release from inmates who have served 60% of their sentences. Over that five-year period, 356 prisoners in total applied, and 200 (56%) were granted conditional release. This was revoked for 42 people (21% of those released) for re-offending.
Manderson said the board is calling for a better understanding of custodial sentences “beyond mere warehousing of offenders”.
Reading from the report, the deputy governor said, “The board advocates for proper investment in rehabilitative programmes, measures to combat drug use in custody and increased post-release support. A commitment to addressing the root causes of offending behaviour will undoubtedly benefit the entire Cayman Islands community.”
The Conditional Release Law is designed to offer inmates and offenders hope for the future and a crime-free life. Those who make good use of their time in prison and stick to the rules are offered the carrot of release after serving just under two-thirds of their sentence — a very important tool in helping the prison service manage those who are incarcerated.
The Conditional Release Board also deals with those who are serving life sentences and makes the decision on whether or not those lifers can be released after they have served the minimum time imposed on them by the tariffs handed down by the court. The law provides for a life term to be 30 years, though it can be more or less depending on the circumstances of both the offender and their crime.
HMP Northward has continued to battle with the provision of rehabilitation services. Due to a combination of under-investment, the state of the dilapidated prison facility and a general lack of access to meaningful training, education or study, inmates are released with few new skills, low job prospects, housing difficulties and a lack of support, leading to an unsurprising return to a life of crime.
However, as noted by almost all of the prison services’ directors, investing in prisons is hardly a vote-winner for politicians, despite clear evidence that helping and supporting inmates transition into a crime-free life has far more positive results than trying to punish them into it.
Home Affairs Minister Sabrina Turner is moving forward with plans to build a new prison, which is estimated to cost as much as $150 million in total. The government has budgeted to spend $7.4 million this year on starting this project and $4.2 million next year.
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The probation population is of such a manageable size that each elected official can be assigned a handful of ‘clients’ with whom they take supervisory responsibility while prison-to-community life transition is in the works. Regular meetings with these clients on a one-to-one basis, and as a group, to assist probationers in their transitional training, personal development, housing preparation, employment and skill development would be such a great benefit to these individuals. And, with their mentors being in positions of influence in the community policymakers would have a better understanding of this cohorts’ problems which could lead to better solutions being presented. Manage the symptoms then address the problems.
Many people who have worked hard their entire lives face housing challenges. But from a political perspective, it’s important than anyone who spent the last year at His Majesty’s Northward Hotel with their feet up enjoying three square meals per day should go to the head of the list.
your comment is evidence of your grave misunderstanding of how you will continue to live in a “safe society”.
Legalise Abortion. Whatever happened to the Law Reform Commission discussion paper on this?
Legalise? Surely you mean court ordered mandate.
the difference between you and the prisoners is they got convicted of their murderous intent. you’re still hiding behind a keyboard and a screen.
So if I’m understanding this article correctly, it’s more or less saying that the Govt is more willing to spend $150m on a new prison then try to keep persons out of prison by implementing proper programs? Sabrina needs to get a grip on this Department and assist persons in making themselves better and to become productive citizens after serving their time. Furthermore, that amount of money could assist the Caymanian people with housing, education etc. Smdh
$150 Million can do a lot of good for people who are struggling to survive the old fashioned way, by working for it, not through crime.
Some of them cannot be assisted in becoming productive citizens as they are beyond redemption
this is a lie.
They can go live with one of their baby mamas.
I have personally heard (with disgust), young Jamaican men in Cayman stating their intention to “get Cayman girls pregnant” so as to create a “family” connection and thus make it more difficult to be deported. I imagine it’s not exclusive to Jamaicans. CIAA has recently hired a number of Guyanese and other nationalities as Air Traffic Controllers. Some already have “Caymanian” families!!!
Of course, many young, stupid or naive Caymanian girls are willing to help!!
So many low self esteem women and girls in Cayman that’s why. These men will have nothing to offer them and will cheat all the time but as long as they “know where home is” these fool fool Cayman women will marry them and have kids. Parents need to raise their kids to have some standards so they aren’t out here being used for status. The government also need to change our laws so it’s not so easy for people to take advantage.
I’m not really interested in the public or the government being under an on obligation to assist with rehabilitation. Either the person keeps their nose clean or they should be off the streets so the lawful members of the community can live in peace.
and you are an arse of the highest degree. who you fa anyway. you ned go back to that crab hole ya definitely came out of. sour puss you.
you nor your family or friends have NEVER done a single thing wrong.
please don’t advocate for me to live in a society absent of rehabilitation – I’ve been through enough hell already, idiot.
The prison needs to get its minimum security wood shop back up and running. We should have an endless supply of milled public benches, garbage enclosures, and chicken coops. Clean up the beaches and streets. Get those that want to demonstrate contrition serving hours for the public they owe.
There will always be crime and criminals in any/every society and thus confinement needs.
But, Mr. Manderson, you have been the head of the Civil Service for many years, certainly over a decade and only recently has the Civil Service seen fit to introduce an apprenticeship program…and only a single one to my knowledge, at PWD. This was after a private auto repair enterprise iniatiated an apprenticeship program, perhaps ‘shaming’ the Civil Service into action!
Apprenticeship programs are the foundation of labour force in many industralized nations and is basic commonsense…providing job skills to fuel empliyment, launch careers or at the very least, perhaps keep some youth out of jail.
Another method of achieving that goal is providing a strong education system to properly equip youth for success in society. Our education system, as a fundamental part of society and crucial part of the Civil Service continues to fail toward that end!
While the Civil Service is the largest single employer in our islands, perhaps by self-design, it is also obligated, as the largest provider of education services in our islands to properly prepare our youth for employment throughout our economy. In this it fails. However, while our youth are herded out of our public schools unprepared for the job market, Mr.Manderson’s Civil Service is happy to support and administer decades-long Government policies which side-line our youth in favour of selling work permits for imported cheap labour.
So Deputy Governor Mr. Manderson, Head of the Civil Service, why pay lip service to excons who can’t get a place to live when they get out?
What are you as the leader of the Civil Service doing about keeping some of these people out of prison in the first place by providing opportunites for them when it really matters???
comma usage on fleek though!
The accepted Jamaican culture of breed and dump as many kids as possible gives us our feral criminals of today.
Lacking role models , and as no one explains otherwise, they repeat the irresponsible breed and dump cycle, much to the delight of our Jamaican politicians who rely on their wotes.
How dare these vial Jamaican come and defile the innocent Caymanian girls who are so pure and full of virtue. now the righteous pool of pure blooded Caymanians are forever sullied.
How to vote, how to vote. I understand your satire, and agree, so thumbs up. Still, dog, that’s such a rugged way to say it, so thumbs down.
Thus, to quote the WOPR computer* “A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.”
*War Games (1983)
VILE…
The accepted Jamaican culture of breed and dump as many kids as possible gives us our feral criminals of today.
Lacking role models , and as no one explains otherwise, they repeat the irresponsible breed and dump cycle.
Contraception and family planning should feature as a part of schooling.
Unfortunately, they have themselves to blame as nobody forced them to do illegal acts.
Unless and until they take full responsibility for their actions, they won’t ever be rehabilitated.
Their prior actions have consequences and ramifications that may last their entire lifetimes.
CONTRACEPTION.
Truth hurts
s “beyond mere warehousing of offenders”. Franz does understand that custodial sentences are meant to have a punitive and deterrent effect, and to provide society with protection from the offender during the period of the sentence? Which is completely undermined when they let people out only having served 60% of the time that the law and the judge determined to be correct?
So what’s the problem with trying to protect society from further reoffending after the period of the sentence as well?
The problem is it’s paid out of the public purse, adding insult to injury.
If you want less crime but aren’t willing to spend public money on achieving that, maybe you don’t really care that much about having less crime.
Thank you. It’s crazy to me that the law & order, lock em up and throw away the key brigade are also usually those who despise the thought of spending public money on social programmes aimed at preventing the growth of criminals, and are also against providing contraception to prevent the birth of more unwanted children who have a high likelihood of becoming the criminals of the future through childhood abuse, neglect and poverty.
As compared to what? The $50,000+ per year PER convict it takes to maintain them? Get real. We can and should do a hell of a lot better. If the person released is from somewhere else, send them home. If they are one of us, they shouldn’t just be thrown into the deep end.
2:20. You do realize that franz was reading a report from a private sector board. Those were not his views.
What you need to understand is that if you put an individual in prison as punishment not for punishment. If you lock a dog in a pen and beat him everyday would you want to adopt the dog on release. It is so important to educate yourself.
Board of hand picked government appointees…actually.
Very little “private sector” in it.
Dogs are innocent…prisoners have committed crimes.
Yes I would take the dog .
What message are we sending here?? Break the law & you’ll be put up in a nice prison with video games + free meals & when you’re released you get housing as well? WTH who thinks up this nonsense? People will never be deterred from committing crimes if life is made so easy for them. But the average hard working folk can’t get any help from the government. You have to be a total bum for that to happen. How demotivating!!
All of the below are interesting reads on why deterrence and avoiding reoffending isn’t necessarily a matter of longer sentences and/or more unpleasant prisons:
https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/247350.pdf
https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Effectiveness-of-Sentencing-Options-Review-FINAL.pdf
https://daily.jstor.org/rethinking-prison-as-a-deterrent-to-future-crime/
is an interesting short read on deterrence, and
This is too smart for the average Caymanian to understand. They want longer sentences and to name and shame.
Well said 1.40, yet our government is talking about spending $150,000,000…
A Hundred and fifty Million on such a resort to make our criminals, local and imported, more comfortable.
With Millions in fees to gain, it’s being pushed by a local consultant, all at the expense of Cayman, and Law and Order.
Try it out.
It should be a prerequisite for these board members to have been a crime victim. Liberal squishy feely NEVER works.
CNS: What We Can Learn From Norway’s Prison System: Rehabilitation & Recidivism
Norway has a comprehensive welfare system built on high taxation. Plus men are real men and have an understanding of their responsibilities to women and children.
Try rehabilitation, but there should also be a two or three strike system for repeat offenders. After a certain point stop wasting resources on rehabilitation and just keep them out of society.
A functional parole board? Reach for the stars!
until THIS issue is resolved, things will NEVER improve, crime will rise and more innocent lives will be lost. The Boards concerns should be heard and actioned.
$150,000,000 for a new resort prison will only enrich the consultant pushing for it behind closed doors.
It will not reduce crime or benefit the community , it will only make our criminals less fearful of incarceration.
Seymour & O’Connor Connolly will deal with it as they have everything in hand!
The Ritz Carlton cost about $150M or so I think.
Why not buy that for our darling offenders, they will be far more comfortable there, and will never want to leave.
Criminals off the streets..QED.
In the U.S., it was once a condition of parole that a parolee worked an approved job, stayed in approved quarters, regularly met in person with their appointed parole officer and if they managed to keep from reoffending for the duration of their parole, they were then free to keep the same living/work conditions or change them.
I say it “was once” because while the legislation still exists, it isn’t honoured nearly as tightly as it once was. Why? Part of the answer is a lack of entry-level jobs which are capable of supporting an ex-convict, and government-funded “halfway houses” in which the parolee could elect to continue occupying.
Our system has been similar and suffers the same entropy. I would like to see investment geared toward assisting those who have paid their dues. I think this is extremely important, such that falling back into the same trap as caused their incarceration doesn’t seem a better choice.
interesting how a supposedly Christian society is so obsess with punishment but stick their head din the sand when it’s time to lend a hand in helping the fallen. I hope your god don’t treat you that way.
Spoken like a true bigot.
Enough with the “Christian society “ garbage.
The gunman invading your home is not going to ask you if you’re a Christian, Muslim Hindu or Jew…he’s just going to rob and shoot you.
Hmmm, never had a gunman anywhere near my home or my neighbors. The company you keep.
Keep them in prison longer then. If they have dual citizenship, revoke their right to be Caymanian and deport them. Problem solved.
People like you are the reason Cayman will never get better.
Are you looking in the mirror as your country is destroyed, are are you from Jamaica, which has already been destroyed? What is this? Jamrock 2.0?
Born and raised Caymanian from two Caymanian parents. I do not have ties to Jamaica.
Just reading reports one will know longer prison sentences do not help the situation. Is it also costly. $52,000kyd per inmate per year, is that right? Was in the report that came out quite a few years ago.
Also prison sentences without a focus on rehabilitation is pointless.
Look at the Norwegian system compared to the American one. One works the other doesn’t. It’s not hard to see everyone here wants the American one then to complain about the consequences. Only way forward is better education and to rehabilitate.
I watched our island get sold to foreign investors for profit. Now I will watch as badmind Caymanians keep our kind locked away and ridiculed instead of helping them.
Nice Christian community 🙂
Norwegians have the benefits of centuries of community based understanding of social responsibility.
We’re dealing with Jamaicans, their offspring, and their unique culture of instant self gratification with no understanding of consequences.
This cannot suddenly be reversed by providing comfortable lodgings, food and entertainment, now being referred to as ‘Rehabilitation” in a resort prison.
‘The board advocates a holistic approach that addresses the root causes of offending behaviour, emphasises rehabilitative programmes and post-release support,” he stated.’
Root causes? Like being too bone idle to work or feeling that the jobs you are qualified for because you did jack at school are beneath you? Because you idealise a gangster life style? because your parents didnt give a damn about instilling decent values? Good luck with patching that with some free accommodation post release and a training program.