Halfway House has defied the odds, Gov’t pledges to support final phase of construction

By Deandrea Hamilton & Dana Malcolm

#TurksandCaicos, February 23, 2022 – The Turks and Caicos Islands Government has pledged money to support the completion of a halfway house in Chalk Sound, Providenciales.

In a tour led by the Turks and Caicos Drug Prevention Foundation, executives: Dierin Longmire and Edith Skippings, the progresses made at the site, despite insufficient funding; thefts and damage to the home, were touted and accompanied expressions of gratitude to the Government, the Governor’s Office and supporters of the various charity events held to bring the idea to completion.

“Everybody has been supportive of this, and the people that we are going to help, I know, will also be appreciative because I know, as a recovering addict (myself), I know what it is like to be where they are until they can get clean and sober and find their way,” said Dierin Longmire, president of the TCDPF.

The Foundation has come a long way and is eager to secure the monies which will finalise the building stage, leaving only furnishings to be purchased before they can begin moving in tenants.

Speaking at the tour of the halfway house in early February, Jaron Harvey, Probation and Parole Manager with the Turks and Caicos Islands government shared tangible insight, “About 75 per cent of our clients have some sort of a drug problem and we had to recently send someone back to prison due to (involvement in) crime because they don’t have sustainable housing and we don’t have somewhere we would have been able to put them.”

Because of crimes which they have committed in the past, family has alienated them so with a project like this, we would be able to put them here temporarily and be able to work with them until they realise the potential that they have.  But it is difficult working with someone who is an offender and not being able to control the environment that they go in,” said Mr. Harvey.

The recommendation is a structured environment which increases the likelihood of positive outcomes in rehabilitation and intervention.

“A project like this would be able to assist us even in the pre-sentencing format, where persons are committing crimes and the crimes are not so severe that it causes them to go to prison or for prisoners who are released from prison and a landlord is not willing to rent to them, a project like this is something we endorse.”

The Halfway House will serve as a rehabilitation center to support those who have served time in Her Majesty’s Prison in Grand Turk.

Longmire, during that tour explained that the Halfway House will be home to islanders who have left the system and want a second chance.

“When we bring people in here, we are going to give them 30 days to find a job and when they get a job, we are going to look at how much they are making, and they will begin paying rent.  This will help them to get used to getting back into society, but they need a transitioning place.  They need a job when they come out,” said Derin in sharing the vision for the Halfway House, which will be able to accommodate 25 individuals.

“This is about 25 per cent of jail, because there are 109 inmates at the prison right now.  But if we had to do bunk beds or something like that to house more people, we would be able to do it.”

Nigel Dakin, TCI Governor and Otis Morris, TCI Minister of Home Affairs agreed on the important role of the Halfway House; from the Governor, there was also a plea.

“This only works if the next phase of people embraces it, and those are the Employers.  If you as an employer can give a second chance that would be absolutely wonderful. If someone comes out on parole they’ve been through such a rigorous process to get to that point they genuinely deserve a chance and you’re not taking a big risk so please help.”

The minister, who appeared impressed with the construction on South Dock Road said the funding to complete the construction is coming in the new fiscal year, which begins in April 2022.

“It is in the new budget.  I want to see it finished and operating as conceived.  It will do tremendous good, in the sense of helping to rehabilitate.  This will not only be for drug offenders but for offenders on the whole, and it will really help them get back into the society and make the society better than it is now,” said Minister Morris.

There are no statistics which state the rate of recidivism for the Turks and Caicos, however, it is agreed by all who address the subject that the number of inmates, re-offending and returning to the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (Her Majesty’s Prison) is too high.