His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the first meeting of the new Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Criminal Justice Advisory Group at his official residence Waterloo, Grand Turk, on Tuesday, 11 February 2014.
The purpose of the group is to enhance and promote the safety and well-being of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ society through the effective and efficient administration and development of criminal justice.
Its specific aims are to advise the Governor on the implementation of his constitutional roles in relation to criminal justice, including:
• The crime reduction strategy for the TCI
• Sentencing and non-custodial options (e.g. restorative justice, community service, electronic tagging, community re-integration
• Rehabilitation initiatives (e.g. parole, probation, Rehabilitation of Offenders Act)
• Juvenile Justice Issues
• Interventions for the mentally ill
• Victim and Witness Support
• Training and Professional Development for officials
Governor Peter Beckingham said: “This new group will provide an opportunity to consider some of the most important strategic issues relating to the administration of criminal justice in this country. Our first meeting allowed me to gather a range of views relating to juvenile justice which I found stimulating and informative.”
The Group decided it should meet about every four months, and to consider particular topics of interest across the criminal justice system.
The current members of the Group consists of:
1. Governor Peter Beckingham
2. Representative of the Premier’s Office (to be finalised)
3. Attorney General (acting) Rhondalee Knowles
4. Director of Public Prosecutions JoAnn Meloche
5. Chief Justice Edwin Goldsbrough
6. Member of the Judiciary/Senior Court staff (to be finalised)
7. Commissioner of Police Colin Farqhuar
8. Superintendent of Prisons Ian Sargent
9. Director of Social Development (to be finalised)
10. National Youth Director Angela Musgrove
