CASTRIES (CMC):

Officials from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are meeting this week to examine the use of credible data from social development programmes to further inform policies for reducing or eliminating juvenile delinquency in the sub-region.

The OECS Secretariat's Juvenile Justice Reform Project, which is being funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is collaborating with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UNICEF in hosting the four-day workshop which aims to provide participants with the methodology and tools for measuring the effect of juvenile justice programmes.

Project coordinator of the OECS Juvenile Justice Reform Project, Dwight Calixte, believes an effective Juvenile Justice Information system can ultimately influence better resource allocation and management, and with greater fiscal responsibility, member states can create a better-enabling environment that may contribute to economic development.