Canada/TT unite for justice
The Canadian government will work closely with this country to improve the criminal justice system.
A statement sent on Friday from the Ministry of Justice, said both Governments have agreed to collaborate and share best practice and policies with respect to prisons and forensic services. They have also agreed to strengthen bilateral co-operation in the Criminal Justice System reform as it relates to security and intelligence, prison facility planning, offender management, juvenile justice as well as correctional programmes and practices.
The release noted that Justice Minister Christlyn Moore and a team of senior Justice officials visited Canada from April 22 to 28 where they visited several facilities. Among them were the Division of Anatomical Pathology (Eastern Ontario Regional Forensic Pathology Unit) of the Ottawa Hospital, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Correctional Service Canada (CSC).
They also visited the Ottawa Hospital where they met with its senior officials to discuss the operations of the Forensic Pathology Unit. While there, the Ottawa’s Forensic Pathology unit extended an offer to visit the pathology section at the Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Centre with a view to assisting in the upgrade of the quality assurance capacity of the forensic facility.
The delegation also visited the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Ottawa where the parties discussed the operations of the RCMP’s forensic laboratories and their DNA data bank. The information gathered by the senior Justice officials will help in the development of a Request for Proposal for the construction of the new state of the art Forensic Science Centre in Carlsen Field.
Moore and her team also met with Commissioner Don Head and other senior officials of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) to discuss the operationalisation of the Memorandum of Understanding which was signed between the Trinidad and Tobago Prisons Service and the CSC signed on May 1.
Moore told the meeting that the Canadian model was one they want to pay attention to in
Trinidad and Tobago. She highlighted Juvenile Justice as another area for co-operation. She also said that a team from her ministry will visit Canada later this year for a study tour of the Canadian Juvenile Justice System in order to gather best practises and standards to inform a Juvenile Justice policy for Trinidad and Tobago.