VZCZCXRO2372
RR RUEHGR
DE RUEHWN #1339/01 2902114
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 172114Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5657
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRIDGETOWN 001339 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI ELAB PHUM BB XL
SUBJECT: BARBADOS SEEKS ASSISTANCE WITH ITS 
REINTEGRATION PROGRAMS 
 
Ref:  STATE 144021 
 
¶1.  (u)  This is an action request, see para 10. 
 
¶2.  (sbu)  Summary:  In a wide-ranging courtesy 
call with the Ambassador October 17, Barbados? 
Minister for Social Transformation said he was 
leading an effort to establish a domestic 
program for reintegrating paroled prisoners into 
Barbadian society and invited the USG to provide 
any appropriate assistance.  Supporting such a 
home-grown effort could provide an excellent 
opportunity to leverage scarce USG resources 
while at the same time rewarding a regional 
partner for burden-sharing.  End summary. 
 
¶3.  (sbu)  The Ambassador?s October 17 courtesy 
call on Barbados Social Transformation Minister 
Trevor Prescod covered a wide array of topics, 
from prisoner rehabilitation to housing codes to 
care options for the severely disabled. 
Prescod, whose ministry cross-cuts with a number 
of others including Health, Internal (Home) 
Affairs, and Education, is trying to corral an 
array of disparate programs under one roof and 
connect them to a single theme of poverty 
alleviation. 
 
¶4.  (sbu)  Within that framework, Prescod 
discussed with the Ambassador the most pressing 
concerns for the ministry to date ? 
rehabilitation of parolees and care for the 
severely disabled.  He noted a recent decision 
by the government to institute a pilot program 
to parole lower-risk inmates as part of a new 
prison reform plan that also included the 
opening of a new central prison.  He said this 
decision, whatever its other impacts, would put 
a number of parolees on the street without 
adequate skills to re-integrate. 
 
¶5.  (sbu)  To address this concern, he said his 
ministry is committed to reversing the stigma 
against hiring people with criminal records.  He 
noted that the government ? employing 40% of the 
country ? is prohibited from hiring anyone with 
a criminal record, and that there is a 
disinclination in the private sector to hire 
former inmates as well. Moreover, as potential 
employees must provide a ?certificate of 
character? as part of the hiring process, people 
with criminal records are automatically 
disadvantaged when applying for jobs.  Prescod 
said his ministry is researching the legal bases 
for this employment discrimination with an eye 
to overturning it through recommendations to the 
Attorney General. 
 
¶6.  (sbu)  Moreover, Prescod said his ministry 
is working on a plan to provide counseling and 
vocational training to parolees to ease their 
transition back into productive society.  He 
said the ministry is also looking into setting 
up ?halfway houses? for parolees to ease back 
into society, as they often enter strained 
family situations upon their release.  He noted 
that returnees from the U.S. would likely 
benefit from the program as well, welcomed the 
recently announced IOM pilot projects, and 
encouraged further collaboration between 
Barbados and the USG along these lines to 
provide similar support for Barbadian returnees. 
He also asked if the USG could provide 
educational materials, in the form of DVD?s or 
similar media, to help the ministry deal with 
thorny rehabilitation and reintegration issues. 
 
¶7.  (sbu)  Regarding care for the disabled, 
Prescod noted the variety of facilities around 
Barbados dedicated to caring for people with 
varying levels of disability and illness, and 
said his ministry is dedicated to improving the 
quality of care and the quality of life both for 
those with disabilities and those who care for 
them.  He noted the ministry is in the process 
of establishing a respite care system to assist 
those caring for severely disabled family 
members. 
 
¶8.  (sbu)  Barbados? greatest need at present, 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00001339  002 OF 002 
 
 
he added is for trained specialists in 
specialized fields dedicated to long-term care. 
He singled out the lack of trained and qualified 
prosthetics specialists and physiotherapists as 
particularly critical needs, and said he would 
welcome any assistance the USG could provide to 
assist in training Barbadians to fill these 
niche specialties. 
 
¶9.  (sbu)  Comment:  Prescod did not hold this 
meeting with his hand out.  In fact, we were 
surprised to learn that Barbados is taking 
strong initiative to establish its own 
reintegration and rehabilitation program for 
parolees (and, as needed, returnees from the 
U.S.).  USG support for such a program would 
reward Barbados for taking responsibility for 
its returnees and could encourage others in the 
region to do the same.  It might also be a way 
to stretch USG assistance money by plugging into 
existing programs vice creating programs from 
whole cloth. 
 
¶10.  (sbu)  Action Requests:  Understanding the 
significant efforts that have gone into 
launching the IOM program (reftel), we would 
welcome Washington?s views on the possibility of 
supporting Barbados? home-grown initiative. 
Meanwhile, we would also welcome any educational 
material Washington could provide or procure to 
advise this program.  Finally, we welcome 
Washington input regarding possible training 
opportunities in medical specialist programs, 
whether through the State Partnership Program or 
another mechanism. 
 
OURISMAN