Press Release

Bridget E. Hepburn, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, and Commissioner of
Corrections Doan Cleare, and team from the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services are
currently in the Turks and Caicos Islands attending the 3rd Annual Caribbean Association of Probation
and Parole Conference. This marks the first time the Ministry of National Security has attended the
event, which the administration considered important in light of ongoing initiatives in preparation for
the Conditional Release of Offenders Bill (Parole), which is anticipated to be passed by the end of
2026.

The event is being held under the theme, “Leveraging Probation, Parole and Rehabilitation as Effective
Crime-Reduction Strategies in the Caribbean.”

Permanent Secretary Hepburn, Commissioner Cleare and Assistant Commissioner Rolean Forbes took
the opportunity to meet with Mr. Leo Tigges, Senior Expert with the EL PACCTO 2.0 along with his
Project Officer Cassandra van Diemen, with the view to seeking technical assistance to support our
transition to a Parole System. The technical assistance requested includes training and skills
development for officers, as well as modern software to support our Parole endeavours.

EL PACCTO 2.0 is an EU-funded programme dedicated to strengthening cooperation between Europe,
Latin America and the Caribbean in the fields of justice and security. Meetings and discussions with
EL PACCTO representatives will continue over the ensuing weeks.

The post Ministry of National Security Advances Preparations for Parole System at Caribbean Conference appeared first on ZNS BAHAMAS.