Survey of Individuals Deprived of Liberty: Caribbean 2016-2019: Trinidad and Tobago Country Report

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Peer Reviewed icon Peer Reviewed
Date issued
May 2020
Editor
King, Dana Michael;
Vélez-Grajales, Viviana;
Marmolejo, Lina
Subject
Crime Prevention;
Crime and Violence;
Crime and Violence Prevention;
Criminal Justice;
Offender;
Prison Management;
Prison Sentence;
Prison Population;
Correctional Institution;
Citizen Safety
JEL code
K14 - Criminal Law;
K42 - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law;
H76 - State and Local Government: Other Expenditure Categories;
N46 - Latin America • Caribbean;
H59 - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: Other
Country
Trinidad and Tobago
Category
Discussion Papers
This report provides the findings from an inmate survey that was used to collect data on the prison system in Trinidad and Tobago. The results were used to identify the steps needed to improve the country's correctional system, with a view to strengthening its efficiency and rehabilitative capabilities. The survey included questions regarding the inmates' childhoods and upbringing, their crimes and associated factors, due process, and prison conditions. There were several important findings, some of which require more research to understand what kinds of policies would improve the criminal justice and correctional systems in Trinidad and Tobago. Overall, the results suggest that more effort needs to be put into programs and policies that support rehabilitation, including drug treatment programs and wider access to effective education within the prison system to reduce recidivism and criminality in the country.