Above: Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest at the L.E.A.D. Conference (BIS Photo)

The rate of recidivism at the Bahamas’ Fox Hill prison has hovered around 20 percent or less for three of the last four years, which officials said was an above-average mark for prisons.

According to Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest, the Bahamian government has been “working assiduously” on its Prison Reform Initiative, which aims to ensure that men and women released from Her Majesty’s prisons leave the facility as “productive members” of the community.

“We have observed significant decreases in the rate of recidivism over the past several years,” Turnquest said. “The rehabilitation and educational thrusts at Her Majesty’s Prison are ongoing and wide in scope.”

Bahamian law requires that all “suitable” inmates are taught a trade, along with being exposed to educational opportunities.

The country’s government is planning to implement a series of measures designed at increasing educational programmes for inmates.

Turnquest was speaking at the National L.E.A.D. Institute’s Project-Re-Entry Conference.

–Bahamas Information Service