Juvenile Justice Reform Consultant- Diversion and Alternative Sentencing

Job Description

JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM CONSULTANT- DIVERSION AND ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING

The Consultant will provide technical expertise to the Director of Juvenile Justice, the Magistracy, the Guyana Police Force and the Child Care and Protection Agency with the sole purpose of strengthening the diversion and alternative sentencing system in Guyana.

Estimated period of performance: March – June, 2019

First Phase: March – April, 2019

Second Phase: June 2019

Estimated Level of Effort (LOE) days: 50 days (40 for First Phase;10 for Second Phase) – inclusive of both in-country and remote work.

Supervisor: Juvenile Justice Specialist

Position Location: Guyana

Program Summary

In the Caribbean, many youth face the prospect of being economically and socially marginalized, making them more at risk for involvement in crime and violence. Increasingly, more youth witness first-hand high levels of violence and face widespread unemployment with limited social services support. Taking a public-health, evidenced-based approach, the Community, Family and Youth Resilience (CFYR) program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, supports vulnerable youth ages 10-29 from Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Guyana, providing targeted interventions to youth at three varying degrees of risk including: the general population of youth aged 10-29 in crime-affected areas (primary); youth aged 10-17 at higher risk for violence (secondary); and youth in conflict with the law (tertiary). The program strengthens youth, family, and community support systems; improves the skills of youth to resist involvement in violence; expands access to education and employment opportunities; and provides specialized services to youth at the highest risk of engaging in violence.

In addition, the program is working in Guyana on juvenile justice reforms to ensure that youth already in contact with the law can be successfully rehabilitated and reintegrated into the community. The goal is to empower youth to become productive citizens and make positive contributions to society.

Objective

The overall objective of this consultancy is to build the capacity of members of the Guyana Police Force, the Probation Department and Child Care and Protection Agency, the office of the Director of Juvenile Justice and the Magistracy to increase and improve the use of diversion by working with the Office of the Director of Juvenile Justice to develop a diversion policy and operational framework in keeping with the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2018 (the Act) and conducting a Situation Analysis of current diversion programs to identify gaps and alignments to the developed framework. The Consultant will also develop operational procedures to guide the implementation of those diversion programs deemed viable by the aforementioned stakeholders and provide relevant training in the application of those procedures in addition to offering advise/recommendations on Alternative Sentencing programs.

Tasks to be Performed

Working under the direction of the Juvenile Justice Specialist of the CFYR Program and in consultation with the office of the Director of Juvenile Justice, the Guyana Police Force, the Child Care and Protection Agency and the Magistracy, the Consultant will:

Phase 1 – 40 Days LOE:

• Develop a policy and operational framework with respect to the development, maintenance and recognition of diversion programs, ensuring adherence to the principles and objectives as outlined in the Juvenile Justice Act, 2018 (Act).
• Conduct a Situation Analysis of existing services with regard to Diversion and Alternative Sentencing. The analysis should include recommendations for revising existing services and proposing new services, in line with requirements of the Act and generally accepted best practices.
• Following agreement by the Director of Juvenile Justice of programs to be revised and/or new ones to be adopted, develop practical guidelines, protocols and processes for the implementation of approved Diversion Programs, ensuring compliance with the Act.
• Work with the Magistracy to develop practical guidelines, protocols and processes for existing Alternative Sentencing programs and make recommendations for the implementation of additional programs as may be deemed necessary.

Phase 2 – 10 Days LOE:

• Conduct a minimum of two workshop sessions, to be organized by the Office of the Director of Juvenile Justice, with Command Officers and relevant intermediate ranks of the Guyana Police Force, relevant leadership of the Probation Department and Child Care and Protection Office, focused on the roles, actions and responsibilities of each group as set out in the policy and operational framework adopted by the Director of Juvenile Justice.
• Conduct at minimum of one workshop session with the Magistracy with regard to Alternative Sentencing, which must include the current Alternative Sentencing framework, existing programs and the developed practical guidelines and protocols for Alternative Sentencing programs.

Outputs and Deliverables

• A detailed Workplan.
• A Policy and Operational Framework, inclusive of protocols for Diversion, for review by the Director.
• A Situational Analysis specific to the current status quo with regard to Diversion and Alternative Sentencing, guided by the developed Policy and Operational Framework as a benchmark.
• A recommended list of Alternative Sentencing Programs and Diversion Programs.
• Developed Operational Guidelines and Administrative Instruments required for the efficient implementation and monitoring of Diversion.
• Developed Guidelines for Alternative Sentencing in alignment with the existing Alternative Sentencing framework.
• Completion of at least three training sessions with the identified group of professionals as specified and training materials (approximately 25 per professional group).
• Final report with accompanying recommendations.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Interested candidates should email their CV and expression of interest to anad@creativedc.com. Please put “JJR Consultant Application-Guyana” in the subject line. CARICOM citizens are strongly encouraged to apply.

About the Organization

Creative Associates International (Creative) is a dynamic and fast-growing professional services firm that specializes in international development in the areas of education, democratic transitions and stabilization in post-conflict environments. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm has field presence in 20 countries worldwide with a strong and diverse portfolio that includes global contracts with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other clients including the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Defense. The firm has earned a solid reputation among its clients and missions worldwide and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike.