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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
Nassau, The Bahamas – Staff of the Office of the Attorney General and members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force recently participated in a Plea Bargain/Workshop.
The two-day training programme was coordinated by the Office of the Attorney General, the Embassy of The United States of America and the National Centre for State Courts (NCSC) and held at the British Colonial Hilton. Garvin Gaskin, Acting Director of Public Prosecutions in the Office of the Attorney General, said the programme was designed to impart detailed knowledge about plea negotiation strategies to prosecutors, defence counsel and other members of the legal arena, in order to obtain a more effective judicial system. He expressed confidence that the facilitators would effectively demonstrate the procedures, methodologies and the efficacy of plea negotiations in their country. “I hold the view that our collaboration on training, in matters of mutual interest, morphs into material benefits to the administration of justice in both of our countries,” he said. Lisa Johnson, Charge de Affaires, US Embassy, was the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony and JoAnne Richardson, a senior programme manager at NCSC presented the closing remarks. Cynthia Gibbs, permanent secretary attended the event. A team of four criminal justice experts conducted the workshop including NCSC’s senior programme manager; a former prosecutor and defence attorney with experience in training on plea bargaining, and three U.S. active criminal justice professionals, Judge William Arthur Webb, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Moore, and Federal Public Defender, Debra Graces. Ms. Richardson served as lead facilitator. A release from NCSC states that the experts assisted in identifying best practices and challenges that will inform institutional policies, promote change where necessary and broaden approaches to the administration of justice. Discussions also addressed legislative gaps and potential amendments to the existing legislation which have impeded the use of plea bargaining in The Bahamas. The team also facilitated interactive exercises through the use of hypothetical cases to guide participants through negotiation and validation of plea agreements under The Bahamas’ legal system. The workshop concluded with the adoption of a set of recommendations to ensure the effective implementation and increase the use of plea bargaining in The Bahamas.
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