Legislation is needed to expunge the sentences of ex-convicts’ sentence from the records since convictions are a barrier to them getting jobs, housing and travelling.
Vision on Mission (VOM) executive director Gordon Husbands who proposed this yesterday, recommended enactment of the Conditional Release and Rehabilitation (CRR) bill which was drafted since 2008 and remains stalled.
Husbands made the suggestion when he appeared before Parliament’s Social Development and Public Administration committee. The team interviewed officials of VOM , the prison services and National Security Ministry on the challenges of prisoners reintegration into society and T&T’s prisoner reintegration services.
Husbands said there’s also been a call for parole, but that can only function and be energised with the CRR legislation.
National Security’s Walter Alexander said penal reform laws and on parole were drafted by the former Justice Ministry - but parole aspects are tied up at the Legislative Review Committee stage and nothing’s been done on the CRR bill, he admitted.
VOM head Wayne Chance said challenges in ex-cons getting jobs had been recognised even if people acquired skills in jail.
He said employers sometimes need assurances that prospective employees won’t commit crime or target the workplace.
He said VOM established VOM Enterprises Limited to find jobs and contract arrangements with 15 employers, but employers can’t handle the volume of people. VOM’s Bruce Skinner said employers hire for skill and fire for character; and character is key.
Chance added VOM obtained arrangement with CEPEP to employ ex-prisoners for three to six months without ID cards since this takes long to get after prison. He said 30 were employed with CEPEP and this was going very well, but he still welcomes Labour Ministry collaboration to assist with jobs. VOM facilitates rental housing - from $2,500 to $3,000 - for ex-inmates at a 16 apartment Laventille building. He said VOM has an 80 per cent success rate with ex-prisoners and 90 per cent rate with deportees.