PARTICIPANTS’ PAPERSEFFECTIVE SUPPORT FOR REINTEGRATION OF RELEASED INMATES– TOWARD SEAMLESS SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING AND
MEDICAL CARE
Jasmine Dawson*I. INTRODUCTION
The prison system in Belize has been in existence since the 1800s with the official construction of Her
Majesty’s prison in 1857. While prisons are seen as a deterrence to crime, it has not always been withrehabilitation in mind, and the focus has not been on preparation for reintegration into society. It can besurmised that a majority of prisoners are released back into their communities but, are they ready? Is thecommunity ready?
Over time, human rights activists have argued for the better treatment of prisoners as it relates to theirstay at these facilities; however, there is little to no argument for support after they are released. The
country of Belize has seen a consistent rise in criminal activity with the current rate of poverty, and manyof these offences require a minimum mandatory sentence before release. Over the past 20 years, there has
been significant improvement in creating employability programmes within the prison with the idea ofsuccessful reintegration, but this has not been seen to fruition. There continues to be much stigma surrounding
convicted felons, and with a lack of support from entities to aid in their reintegration, these individuals face
many difficulties. This is particularly more unfavourable in cases of juveniles who come in conflict with thelaw as they face even more adversity in their stages of development and require more support. There is apressing need for trained professionals to aid in the development of necessary policies and to implement
measures to address the issues faced by these individuals who are integral parts of our communities. In aneffort to develop more sustainable communities, there needs to be equity, and this can only be achieved
through the implementation of holistic support services.

II. JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM
In Belize, the age of criminal responsibility is a mere twelve years old. At this age, juveniles can face legal
repercussions for their perceived or alleged crimes. It is for this reason that the juvenile justice system exists
in the country. The juvenile justice system is seen as a parallel system to the criminal justice system;
however, it is designed to offer special protections to juveniles who come in conflict with the law. Thissystem is guided by several laws, acts and conventions, but it is most considerate of a juvenile’s brain
development, environmental factors, adverse childhood experiences etc. This system is aimed at protecting
the rights of children as they interface with the justice system. As such this paper aims to discuss thecurrent situation in Belize as it relates to reintegration of released inmates, good practice measures of themandated government offices, challenges in best practice and recommendations for improvement.
A. Current Situation
The Community Rehabilitation Department was enacted with the Penal Reform Alternative Sentences
Act in 2001. It exists to promote the use of alternative or noncustodial sentences for juvenile offences. At
present, should minors be remanded or sentenced for offences, they are placed in the custody of the certified
institution or Residential Care Facility. These institutions are the Wagner’s Youth Facility and the New
Beginnings Youth Development Center. Although housed separately from adults in both institutions, the* Ag. Human Development Coordinator, Community Rehabilitation Department, Ministry of Human Development, Families
and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Belize.

5RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 117
clients are still managed by the rules that govern offenders in custody. One major exception to these rules
is the access to social workers and support provided by the Department that is mandated to provide services
to young offenders. These minors that are remanded awaiting adjournment dates or serving sentences areoffered a plethora of services geared towards building their capacities for life upon release. The facilities arefocused on providing employability skills, independent living skills and basic life skills that are intended toaid in their successful reintegration into society. While these programmes are a step in the right direction,
there still exists a gap in the lack of adequate follow-up upon release back into society which has proven to
be most detrimental to success. There continues to be much stigma surrounding convicted felons, and withno existing entities to aid in their reintegration, the difficulties persist.
B. Good Practice
The department understands the need for consistent case management, especially for minors within
detention facilities. As such, using evidence-based tools and assessments, the social workers are able todetermine areas of concern in need of intervention. As a good practice measure, case plans are developedand implemented with each juvenile while at the facility to ensure there is some continuity upon release.
These plans often include but are not limited to school enrolment, counselling, employability skills andrehabilitation from substance misuse. Juveniles are also educated on basic life skills to aid them in manoeuvringtheir daily lives. One of the most fundamental practices to date, has been the implementation of aftercare
services which focuses on case management for a minimum span of one year following the release from any
institution or facility. This practice has strengthened the continuum of care that effective case management
is intended to achieve. These practices, along with other measures, have enhanced the overall quality ofservices and by extension the lives of the youths that have come in conflict with the law and improved therate of recidivism.
C. Challenges
On the other hand, many challenges exist in the system which present difficulties for effective aftercare
service to take place. Some of these challenges include gang affiliations, lack of parental support andsupervision, high crime rates within the community, mental health issues in adolescents, poverty etc. To
further explain the impact of these challenges I present the following case that highlights both good practiceand the challenges faced.
The case focuses on clients C.L. and G.T. who both came in contact with the department due to being
charged for committing offences and presenting as at-risk youths. C.L., being a low-risk offender and positivelyengaged youth, was granted an opportunity by the Family Court to enrol in the National Diversion Program
after pleading guilty to a misdemeanour charge.
Interventions were put in place for the client which included enrolment into a trade programme, anentrepreneurship venture funded by the department and continued case management. This opportunity was
the turning point for C.L. as his basic needs were being met due to the monies being earned and he wasobtaining an education. The client was progressing greatly; however, this all changed when he allegedly
encountered G.T. in his area one night when returning home. C.L. was attacked by a group of individuals
and was murdered.
G.T. was later charged with this murder and remanded to the Wagner’s Youth Facility. There the client
started to suffer from deterioration in his mental health and was later placed on suicide watch. While at thefacility, several interventions were put in place inclusive of Counselling and Social Work support. G.T. began
showing progress and eventually retuned to his usual self with the additional support. The client was later
released given that the matter was withdrawn at the stage of Preliminary Inquiry. Upon his release, the client
refused further services from the department, his parent failed to provide adequate supervision and support,
there was no positive engagement and no interest in interventions set out by the department. G.T. was later
murdered a few months after his release in June 2023.
D. Possible Solutions
In conclusion, there is an imperative need to bridge the gap to achieve seamless reintegration for offenders.
There have been significant strides in rehabilitating offenders and preparing them for reintegration; however,much support does not exist outside the gates of facilities. In an effort to provide effective support for felons,the following solutions are proposed:
6

PARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
i. More structured programmes aimed at providing aftercare support to released inmates;
ii. Community support programmes inclusive of parenting and capacity-building;iii. Education campaigns geared at community empowerment, resiliency and building more sustainablecommunities.

7