PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, June 17, 2019, the Ministry of Justice, House of Detention and Prison Point Blanche signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)with the Ministry of Public Health Social Development & Labour and Foundation Judicial Institute Sint Maarten. The purpose of the MOU is to establish a partnership between these entities to facilitate various initiatives as it pertains to training and employment opportunities for a specific target group.
“My aim as Minister of Justice has always been to introduce rehabilitative programs for our prison population so that when these individuals have finished serving their time they can easily reintegrate back into society,” said Minister De Weever. “It is not about incarceration, because they can still contribute to society, and the safety net needs to be in place to facilitate their reintegration into society.”
The MOU focuses on knowledge, information sharing, and sensitivity training both internal and external and offer training opportunities amongst the population of St. Maarten to enhance skills and competencies to prepare persons with a criminal background for the demands of the labour market. Therefore, this MOU supports a variation of activities, which aims at assisting this clientele and raise awareness on the importance of inclusion.
“The work has started to ensure that this MOU becomes a “living” document,” said Minister De Weever.
The MOU is valid for two years and took effect on the date it was signed.
