From left: Sergeant Landon Wade, Chicago Police Department; Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Shockett, Bronx Count District Attorney’s Office; Judge Peggy Chiampas, Circuit Court of Cook County; Kristin Gilmore, INL Director, U.S. Embassy; Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson, RBPF; Permanent Secretary Carl Smith, Ministry of National Security; JoAnne Richardson, National Center for State Courts; Permanent Secretary Cynthia Gibbs, Office of the Attorney General/Ministry of Legal Affairs; Detective (retired) Wilford Pinkney, Jr., New York City Police Department.
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The National Center
for State Courts (NCSC) and the Ministries of Legal Affairs and National
Security partnered to deliver a Criminal Gang Investigation and
Prosecution Workshop for more than 40 ministry officials,
public prosecutors, police investigators, and corrections officers
August 6-7 in Nassau. The workshop was funded by the U.S. Embassy’s
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Section
through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI)
and was part of ongoing U.S.-Bahamian cooperative efforts to fight
transnational crime and increase efficiencies in the administration of
justice in The Bahamas.
The two-day program—conducted by a former state prosecutor and circuit court judge, an assistant district attorney, a retired 1st
grade detective, and a police sergeant—was designed to enhance
attendees’
knowledge of best practices in investigating and prosecuting
gang-related crimes. Workshop topics included intelligence gathering,
evidence analysis, and group criminal liability, and utilized
hypothetical scenarios and group breakout brainstorming sessions.
In the peer-to-peer learning environment, the U.S. criminal experts
engaged in interactive discussions on the legal framework and
investigative tools available to investigate and prosecute gang-related
offenses, incorporating issues such as the forfeiture
of proceeds from criminal activity. During the course of the workshop,
participants formulated recommendations to enhance and improve
investigative and prosecutorial practices in combating gang-related
crimes and violence in The Bahamas.
At the opening
ceremony on August 6, Ministry of Legal Affairs Permanent Secretary
Cynthia Gibbs encouraged an active exchange of ideas that considered The
Bahamas’ unique legal framework and approach to the
administration of justice. Additionally, Ministry of National Security
Permanent Secretary Carl Smith explained that addressing gang-related
crimes required a whole-of-government approach and encouraged a
substantive discussion of existing efforts as well
as new ideas to deter, investigate, and prosecute criminal
organizations in The Bahamas.
Workshop
participants received a variety of materials including exemplars of U.S.
statutes, indictments, plea agreements, intelligence gathering
instruments, model case management tools, and institutional
policies/procedures. The Ministries of Legal Affairs and National
Security hosted a series of stakeholder discussions in advance of the
workshop, laying the groundwork for a successful event.
