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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
National Center for State Courts and Bahamas Ministry of Legal Affairs Partner on Plea Bargaining Workshop
By US Embassy Bahamas
Jul 21, 2014 - 6:13:33 PM
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From left: Deputy Commissioner, Royal Bahamas Police Force, Quinn McCartney; Ms. Joanne Richardson, NCSC Senior Program Manager, Kimberley Ann Moore, AUSA; U.S. Chargè d’Affaires a.i. Lisa Johnson; Ms. Debra Graves, Public Defender; Permanent Secretary, Cynthia Gibbs; Judge William Arthur Webb and Mrs. Cleopatra Christie, Consultant in the Attorney General’s Office.
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Nassau, Bahamas -
The National Center
for State Courts (NCSC) and the Ministry of Legal Affairs partnered
together to deliver a Plea Agreement - Plea Bargain Workshop for justice
sector professionals, including magistrates, prosecutors, and defense
attorneys, July 17-18 in Nassau. The workshop was funded by the U.S.
State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs (INL) through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI)
and was part of ongoing U.S.-Bahamian cooperative efforts to increase
efficiencies in the administration of justice in The Bahamas.
The two-day program was designed to enhance attendees’ knowledge of
plea-bargaining systems and was facilitated by a team of four U.S.
experts including a judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, and NCSC’s
Senior Program Manager. The visiting NCSC team provided an overview of
the U.S. legal framework and procedural mechanisms for successful plea
bargaining systems, highlighting the practice and impact of plea
bargaining in the United States through their collective experiences
negotiating pleas and sentencing defendants in the U.S. federal and
state systems. In addition, the U.S. criminal experts engaged in
interactive discussions on The Bahamas’ plea bargaining system and
collaborated with their counterparts to identify best practices and
challenges in the use of plea bargain/agreement frameworks in The
Bahamas.
At the opening ceremony on July 17, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Lisa
Johnson explained the significant part plea bargaining plays in the U.S.
justice system, where approximately 95% of criminal cases are settled
by plea bargain rather than jury trial. While plea bargaining saved the
U.S. criminal justice system time and U.S. taxpayers money, the Chargé
said, the processes and systems established for use in the United States
were not necessarily the same processes and systems that should be used
to address the demand and concerns of the Bahamian criminal justice
system. The Chargé encouraged an active discussion that considered The
Bahamas’ unique legal framework and approach to the administration of
justice.
Workshop participants received a variety of materials include plea
transcripts, institutional policies, case studies, and recommended
standards for the plea bargaining process. The Ministry of Legal Affairs
hosted a series of stakeholder discussions in advance of the workshop,
laying the groundwork for a successful event.
About NCSC
NCSC is a global leader in court management and administration
services, working with justice systems worldwide to modernize court
operations to help courts function more efficiently and transparently,
offer quality services that increase access to justice, and respond
efficiently to community needs. NCSC has worked in more than 30
countries, implement rule of law initiatives in Africa, Asia, the
Caribbean, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle
East, as well as in countries with civil law, common law, sharia law,
and traditional settlement systems.
About INL
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)
advises the President, Secretary of State, other bureaus in the
Department of State, and other departments and agencies within the U.S.
Government on the development of policies and programs to combat
international narcotics and crime. INL programs seek to reduce the entry
of illegal drugs into the United States; and to minimize the impact of
international crime on the United States and its citizens.
http://www.state.gov/j/inl/
About CBSI
The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) is a regional security
partnership between the United States and the nations of the Caribbean
to combat the drug trade and other transnational crimes that threaten
regional security. The United States, CARICOM member nations, and the
Dominican Republic are improving citizen safety throughout the Caribbean
by working together to: substantially reduce illicit trafficking,
increase public safety and security, and promote social justice.
© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com
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