CARICOM chief justices partake in drug treatment study programme

WASHINGTON, Mar.16, CMC – The Organization of American States (OAS) says it is collaborating with the Canadian Association of Drug Treatment Court Professionals (CADTCP), through its National Problem Solving Court Institute (NPSCI), in conducting a Drug Treatment Court Exchange and On-Site Study Programme for four Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries this week.



On Saturday, the Washington-based hemispheric body announced that the four-day programme, which runs from Tuesday through Friday, takes place in Vancouver, Canada, and involves Jamaica, Belize, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago.



The workshop is organized under the umbrella of the Drug Treatment Courts Program in the Americas, an initiative coordinated by the OAS Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD).

The OAS said authorities present during the event will include the chief justices of Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, the Attorney General of Barbados, and the four chief magistrates of all four countries.



Three of the participating countries have already launched Drug Treatment Court pilots. The OAS said Trinidad and Tobago has one court running, Jamaica currently has three in operation, and Barbados has just launched its first.



Trinidad and Tobago will launch its first juvenile court and second adult court in the coming months, while Belize is in its exploration phase.



“The OAS Drug Treatment Court Program for the Americas is an initiative that responds to the OAS Drug Hemispheric Strategy, which calls for countries to explore alternatives to incarceration for drug dependent offenders,” the OAS said in a statement.



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