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Bahamas Minister of National Security Pursues Evidence-Based Strategies for Correction from UB/IDB Symposium on Prisoners

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#Bahamas, October 7, 2017 – Nassau – Minister of National Security the Hon. Marvin Dames told participants at ‘Our Prisoners: A Symposium’ on October 4, 2017, that he believed that the information disseminated at the event would “go a long way in providing good and holistic analysis about offenders, their criminogenic (‘causing or likely to cause criminal behavior’) needs” and the underlying challenges within The Bahamas’ correctional system.

“As I have indicated in my communication on crime (in the House of Assembly) a few weeks ago, my Ministry has reached out to researchers at the University of The Bahamas to explore ways in which your institution can assist in finding more evidence-based strategies to combat crime,” Minister Dames said at the event held at the University of The Bahamas (UB) Performing Arts Centre and facilitated by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in conjunction with UB.

“Furthermore, I am moved by the willingness of your institution to assist with evaluating anti-crime programs to determine what impact they are having on crime and public safety indicators,” he added.

Minister Dames said that the emphasis of the discussion that day focused on the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services and the need to facilitate alternatives to imprisonment and conditional release for non-violent offenders.   He noted that, over the past four years, the correctional services had been transitioning from a “punitive base to corrections.”

“During this process, the enactment of new legislation to govern the service and changing the name of the institution was achieved,” Minister Dames pointed out.   “However, the process fell short of establishing a clear correctional strategy, that will benefit staff and offenders.”

Minister Dames stated that, at that time, The Bahamas ranked third in the region in incarceration rates – 439 per 100,000 in 2016.

“This rate reflects the challenges of crime, punishment and recidivism that exist within the Criminal Justice System in The Bahamas,” he said.

In 2016, he added, Inmate Admissions at the correctional facility were 2,528, with male offenders continuing to remain the larger gender group admitted into the institution, exceeding female offenders by 93% in total inmate admissions.

“Particularly, young males between the ages of 18–25 [who] represent the largest age group at 41%,” Minister Dames said.   “These trends suggest that we must engage dialogue relative to Corrections, alternatives to incarceration and their role in the Criminal Justice System of The Bahamas.

“We must define exactly what should be accomplished while offenders are incarcerated.   At this point we need to understand what works and whether punishment, rehabilitation and reintegration are impactful within our system.”    Minister Dames said that, within that context, the correctional institution faces a myriad of challenges and the need for clear evidence-based practices must now be considered.

“Evidence-based practices, as a part of the criminal justice system in The Bahamas, can mean revolutionizing the Correctional Services and developing much-needed community supervision programs for offenders,” he pointed out.   “Moreover, these objectives can only be ascertained through making organizational decisions and directing policy-making initiatives based on measurement, research and evaluation.”

Minister Dames said that a very important step of our government’s crime focus is the rehabilitation and re-integration of offenders.

“Noting that current incarceration and recidivism rates are at unacceptable levels, we understand that recently-released inmates – who are typically males in the prime of their lives – seem to have very few viable options to be successfully rehabilitated and re-integrated into society,” he said.   “As a result, Government will be enacting legislation shortly to address the conditional release of offenders into society through a Parole and Probation System for first time non-violent offenders.

“The new process of parole will address rehabilitation, reintegration, re-offending/recidivism and reduce the costs associated with incarceration.”

Minister Dames said the goals of the initiative will also include the following: assisting ex-offenders in functioning in the community without becoming involved in further criminal activity; providing supervision or monitoring; and providing support to inmates enabling them to be reintegrated in the community through a productive and crime free lifestyle.

Minister Dames commended the “committed support” of the IDB, which had demonstrated its assistance by providing funding and other pertinent resources to the project, and looked forward to initiating further collaborative efforts.

“I also commend the faculty and support staff of University of The Bahamas that have committed long, sacrificial hours in the work that will be presented today,” Minister Dames said.   We anticipate information revealed in this study will be useful in modernizing and strengthening correctional outcomes for the 21st century.”

Minister Dames gave the full assurances of the government that his Ministry is a willing and committed partner and they were confident that underpinning the discussions at that dissemination exercise was the resolve to formulate data that will “chart the course of response to findings about offenders incarcerated in The Bahamas.”

Press Release: BIS

Photo caption:  Minister of National Security the Hon. Marvin Dames speaks, on October 4, 2017, at ‘Our Prisoners: A Symposium’, an event held in the University of The Bahamas (UB) Performing Arts Centre and facilitated by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in conjunction with UB.

(BIS Photo/Eric Rose)

 

 

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Twist To Win Ends in a Grand Style with Four $5,000 Mall at Marathon Shopping Sprees  

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Twist To Win grand finale winners (l-r) Brian Bethel, Taraceta Neely, Ashia Demeritte and Merlin Adams posing along with their winnings from the shopping spree.

NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.

The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.

With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.

Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.

Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.

Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!

After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.

The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.

At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.

Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.

Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.

The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.

Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.

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 The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival  

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NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival.                                                                                                                                                                              Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.

As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.

Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole, with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.

Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.

Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the listening booth.

Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.

For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!

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CWS Brings a Galore of Bubbles at Annual Jollification Festival  

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Caribbean Wines & Spirits team members smiling behind one of the company’s two bars at Jollification

NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.

Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.

The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members.  Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.

Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine.  To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.

On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking in the comfort of the chic lounge.  In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.

The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.

Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.

To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.

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