KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – The opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) is proposing “a second chance compact” to help young Vincentians turn away from a life of crime.
“It cannot be talk, talk, or bring in your guns and give an amnesty. We have to give the young people a practical alternative lifestyle to turn them away from the other attractions of the quick-buck dons, as it were,” NDP vice-president St. Clair Leacock said of the initiative.
“And that is what we are rolling out to show, ‘Look, if you want to bring in your gun, and give that up and give up those lifestyles, all is not lost. We will be at your side.’
“But it’s more than that. And these are the various silos, various sets of opportunities that you can look at. Turn a new leaf and have a new lifestyle, you might have to sweat a little bit more, but there’s far less danger and exposure to violence than if you stayed in that old path,” Leacock added on the party’s radio program on NICE Radio.
He said he outlined the program at the funeral of murder victim Daniel “Tiger” Issacs, 39, on Saturday. Isaacs was at a shop on January 29 when a masked assailant approached and shot him, killing him on the spot.
“I spoke candidly, and I’m glad I received a nod from both his family and the preacher,” Leacock said, adding that he used his tribute “to highlight the challenge that crime and violence now play in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
The opposition spokesperson on national security matters said he also pointed out “that we still need, more forcefully, to begin to look at St. Vincent and as a place for second chances for young … [people] who have fallen through the cracks, … or who get caught up in those situations and circumstances”.
Leacock said he used the tribute at the funeral to “whet their appetite a little bit,” adding that the NDP hasn’t spoken publicly in detail about its “second chance compact” to deal with the situation of crime and violence in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
He noted that the causes of crime are mixed, “but poverty is like salt in the menu.”
“Too much of it is going to spoil whatever you’re having. And the absence of it indeed will reflect the fact that it is missing from the equation.
“So, if we ignore that, we do so at our peril. But we have to pay attention to all the other things — family life values, people’s self-development, education, job opportunities, rebuilding our communities, because it takes a community to bring up a child or something like that, and that too, we have to look at,” Leacock said.
He said the issue is multifaceted, and while the NDP does not want to suggest a quick fix, “the fact is, we can do something about it.”
The NDP vice-president said a study he did seven years ago showed that the country was spending EC$13,000 (One EC dollar = US$0.37) per year to keep a person in prison.
“And where we’re spending $13,000 per prisoner, we’re spending $5 per Scout, Guide, Cadet, Brownie, Red Cross, Pathfinder, you name the youth group, and almost nothing on the National Youth Council,” Leacock said.
“Today, when we have increased another $2 million on the prisons, we are still giving the same $5 to those youth groups. So, the thing is that there is far less emphasis on the preventative aspects of crime and far more emphasis on the accommodation and rehabilitative aspects of crime. And our parents always told us prevention is better than cure.”
Leacock said that while he does not have statistics, he believes prison rehabilitation programs are insufficient.
“I believe some prisoners are exposed to opportunities to do the academic things, the CSEC Studies. Some are being given an opportunity, I believe, for farming; some are being trained to do one or two other disciplines, in some cases, welding, mechanics work in the garage, and bodywork on vehicles, but it doesn’t seem to me to be very structured,” Leacock said.
He also called for a structured apprenticeship program, noting that a certificate given to an intern who has completed a program at a local company would carry much weight.
“And that helps them to be able to get meaningful employment, especially when they can demonstrate their hands-on ability,” Leacock said.
He said the country must also consider the NDP’s proposal of marrying idle hands to idle lands.
“Government has landed all over the place laying fallow with a lot of cattle grass, why not parcel out portions of lands and invite a number of these young men and give them the extension officers’ help and assistance to grow vegetables, to grow whatever commodity…,” he said, adding that government can then purchase the product for use in state-run facilities, such as hospitals and schools, as well as private hotels and restaurants.
“All those have to go into our second chance opportunities to keep those guys away from a life of crime and violence. This is an upgrade of our old Social and Redemption Charter, where we are now calling it a Second Chance Compact,” the NDP vice-president said.
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