The Magistrate’s Court in Anguilla is in the process of re-instituting the Juvenile Court in accordance with the provisions of the Juvenile Court Act.
To that end, eight persons have been appointed, by Her Excellency Governor Christina Scott, to serve as Assessors and to work with the Magistrate. A workshop, preceded by an opening ceremony, was held for them on Thursday, April 9, during which they were trained in a number of areas relating to the functioning of the Juvenile Court.
The assessors are Mrs. Ursil Webster-Brooks, Mr. Seymour Hodge, Mrs. Jillian Sheehy, Pastor Cecil Richardson, Dr. Linda Banks, Mrs. Angeline Carty, Pastor Victor Hugo Brooks and Mrs. Lana Connor.
In addition to the eight assessors, persons from the Department of Probation, Department of Social Development, the Royal Anguilla Police Force, as well as from the Attorney General’s Chambers, attended the workshop. Its theme was Entrusted with Fragile Lives – An examination of the Juvenile Court and its processes in Anguilla.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Ms. Ivenia Benjamin, Senior Magistrate. The speakers were His Excellency the Acting Governor, Mr. Stanley Reid; Resident High Court Judge, Madam Justice Cheryl Mathurin; Attorney General, Mr. Rubert Jones; and Mr. Don Mitchell, Retired Justice of Appeal, who delivered the Vote of Thanks. Excerpts from the main three addresses will be provided in the next edition of The Anguillian.
The workshop sessions were as follows: The purpose of the Assessor in the Juvenile Court by Mr. Don Mitchell; Sentencing Options in the Juvenile Court by Magistrate Mr. Keithley Benjamin; the Role of Probation in Juvenile Justice by Ms. Jocelyne Johnson, Chief Probation Officer; the Purpose and Programmes of the Juvenile Centre, by Ms. Dorn Henry, Acting Supervisor, Zenaida Haven; the Role of the Department of Social Development, by Mrs. Sonia Skellekie, Senior Social Worker; the Significance of Reports in the Juvenile Court; and the Role of Restoration and Diversion in Juvenile Justice by Ms. Ivenia Benjamin.
In addition, there were presentations on a number of other matters. These were the Probation and Pre-sentence Report by Ms. Johnson; the Key Worker Report by Ms. Henry; the Psychological Report by Dr. Banks; the Drug and Substance Abuse Report by Mr. Ian Bibby; and the Social Development Report by Mr. Sanford Richardson, Director of Social Development.
The Juvenile Justice Workshop was held by the Judicial Department in collaboration with the Anguilla Social Security Board – the main sponsor.
