The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative:A Development Approach to Citizen Security

Special Security Concerns of the Small Island States of the CaribbeanMarch 27, 2014

E. Brennan Dorn

USAID’s Role in CBSI

Under CBSI’s Pillar 3: Crime Prevention and Social Justice, we work with the Organization of Eastern and Caribbean States, partner governments, and local partners to:

•Provide social and economic opportunities for at-risk youth and their communities;•Improve juvenile justice systems’ focus on rehabilitation;•Enhance cooperation between communities and law enforcement; and•Reduce corruption.

To date, USAID has spent $72.8 million on these efforts across the Caribbean.

Start from the Beginning:Education and Workforce Development

Start from the Beginning:Education and Workforce Development

At the heart of our CBSI activities is increasing opportunities for at-risk youth.

•Young people who complete their educations and have social and economic opportunities are at much less risk of becoming involved in crime and violence, whether as victims or perpetrators.

•In close partnership with local businesses and organizations, USAID provides second-chance education, in-demand vocational training, and life skills.

•28,795 youth completed USAID-funded workforce development training between FY 11 and FY 13.

Shift to Rehabilitation: Juvenile Justice Reform

Shift to Rehabilitation: Juvenile Justice Reform

USAID’s juvenile justice programs aim to improve the legal environment for youth in conflict with the law and promote their successful re-entry into society.

•Half of juvenile offenders in the OECS are imprisoned alongside adults. By the end of 2015 USAID aims to reduce that number to 10 percent.

•We began with a rigorous juvenile justice assessment throughout the Eastern Caribbean to get a clear and data-driven basis of the situation at the outset.

•Magistrates, social workers, juvenile justice professionals, and others have engaged in trainings on sentencing, diversion, international standards, and methods of research, analysis, and decision making.

•In juvenile detention centers in St. Kitts and Grenada, we have provided psycho-social support and vocational training to detained and recently released youth.

Engage the Right Stakeholders:

Community-Based Prevention and

Community Oriented Policing

Engage the Right Stakeholders:

Community-Based Prevention and

Community Oriented Policing

USAID is implementing cutting edge interventions to help empower local residents to take action for their own security and to help police improve their relationships with at-risk communities. In the OECS countries, this work is just beginning, but will be based on successful interventions in other Caribbean countries, for example:

•In Jamaica, 9,000 police officers have been trained in community-based policing between FY 08 and FY 12. This program has expanded from its initial 57 communities to 700.

•Last year, Community Justice Houses served more than 37,000 people in marginalized communities in the Dominican Republic.

•In Jamaica, more than 1,500 government officials received anti-corruption training through USAID between 2011-2013. This has been paired with public awareness campaigns and the installation of the 1-800-CORRUPT hotline.

Build in Sustainability:Local Ownership + Research, Monitoring,

and Evaluation