The signing of an agreement with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to implement a rehabilitation initiative for inmates (see related story) seems like a worthwhile endeavour. Much has been said and written in the recent past about unsatisfactory conditions including the need for more meaningful re-socialisation at the Point Blanche prison.
A new penitentiary is being built with partial Dutch funding due to the poor state of the current complex and a structural lack of cell space. However, a correctional facility is about more than bricks and mortar.
Besides, this matter can’t wait until construction has been completed. The so-called ADVANCE-SXM four-year programme began on August 1, 2025, and is reportedly designed to transform St. Maarten’s prison system from the inside out, providing reintegration opportunities and specialised staff training.
After all, if too little is done to help detainees make a successful return to society, many will become so-called “revolving-door criminals” and end up compounding the capacity problem. The latter has consequences like convicts serving shorter terms than imposed by the courts and having already sentenced persons remain free until room can be made for them, both hardly ideal situations.
Preparing employees is a major ingredient, because they will be the ones “on the ground” asked to deal with practical aspects of executing these plans. For such changes aimed at improvement to work best, those directly involved must own not only the problems but also their solutions.
