Senior Reporter
Criminologist Dr Randy Seepersad says despite the number of cases before the Children’s Court and the 1,050 children suspended from schools in the first three months of the academic year, the use of State of Emergency preventive detention orders for minors may not be the best solution to steering youth away from deviant and criminal behaviour.
Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, Seepersad said if child violence is reportedly high, there should be fewer PDOs and authorities should work more on rehabilitating those who are going down the wrong path.
“Our youth justice system has transformed itself from one that in the past was extremely retributive, was extremely punishment orientated, to one that is now very, very restorative. So, you know, when you look at the operation of the Children’s Court, notwithstanding, of course, that several thousand cases have gone through the children’s courts since the inception, when you look at the approach that the children’s courts take, it’s really, really far more about rehabilitation than about punishing.”
He added: “So you’re trying, yes, to get youths to recognise that they’ve done something wrong, but at the same time trying to find out what is happening in the lives of the youths, and most importantly, to provide intervention.
“So going back to the root of PDOs, then you’re shifting backwards. You know, you’re going back towards a punitive approach, which, you know, a lot of research suggests it’s really not the way to go at all when it comes to young persons. I’m absolutely not suggesting that we go the route of more PDOs, but we really, as far as possible, try to intervene and find out what is going wrong.”
In a gazetted detention order on Tuesday, police identified a teenager as a member of an organised gang operating in Guapo, La Brea and Point Fortin. He was the second teen ordered detained at the Youth Training and Rehabilitation Centre since the SoE came into effect on March 3.
And with over 1,000 suspensions for the first three months of the school year, Seepersad said if done correctly, suspensions can be used to curb deviant behaviour.
“There is research that shows that depending on how you handle suspension, you could actually have some very positive outcomes. You can structure the experience in such a way that you use the time under suspension to provide some kind of intervention.”
Speaking in the Senate on Tuesday, Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath said the Education Ministry does not treat suspension as arbitrary punishment. He added that suspension is used where behaviour threatens the safety, order and proper functioning of the school environment, but it is governed by clear procedures, due process and proportionality.
Seepersad said intervention in school suspension depends on the specific nature of the issue with the child.
“At least in some places, guidance counsellors and the psychologists intervene to try to get at the root of the problem with the child and to try to provide that level of intervention, even going as far as approaching the family, counselling the child, counselling the family, trying to figure out what is going wrong that may lead to behaviour which is at the level that would warrant school suspension. So, school suspension is something that could be taken as an opportunity to intervene. And if intervention is done right, you can help to remediate a particular problem.”
