Dominica to host OECS Juvenile Justice Reform Activity

DOMINICA:  A community oriented weekend event to build the awareness of juveniles and the issues they face will be staged in Dominica soon.
The Government of Dominica, as a beneficiary of the OECS Juvenile Justice Reform Project, participated in a few programmes tailored to stimulate public interest in youth and juvenile justice issues through active participation.
Under the project, activities which Dominica submitted included sensitization programmes on violence, parenting sessions, and a youth forum.
The final activities to take place next week will be done in two parts: a panel discussion with dramatization and the viewing of a regionally produced movie on juvenile concerns.
In an interview with GIS news, Magistrate, Gloria Augustus said people need to know about juvenile issues.
“Because of the reform, people have to be part of it in terms of the program, because the young people are part of society. We are having an outreach program looking at the causes of violence,” she explained.
The dramatization is titled, ‘View from the Prison Van’ written by Ruth Montrichard with flashbacks written by Magistrate Augustus.
The dramatization features messages sent to various persons by a prisoner in a prison van on his way to court for a crime the prisoner thinks will result in his hanging.
A panel discussion will be held to discuss the root causes of violence and the role in breaking the cycle.
The panellists are ASP Claude Weeks, Vincent Richards, Yvonne Alexander, Matilda Popo, Thomas Holmes and Montgomerry Richards.
The activity is an attempt to examine dysfunctional family dynamics as one of the root causes of violence. It is expected that the audience will do some self-examination on their role in breaking the cycle of violence.
The general public is encouraged to attend the events which will take place at the Arawak House of Culture on April 22nd and April 23^rd at 7:30 pm.