Cooperative society to give former inmates tools to reintegrate

Additional assistance is on the way to reintegrate former inmates into society.

The Alliance of Reform Minded Entrepreneurs (ARME) Cooperative Society Limited, which aims to assist such individuals and their families, was launched on Wednesday night, at the Baobab Tower.

Minister of State in Foreign Trade and Business, Sandra Husbands, praised the membership of the cooperative for their foresight in creating the entity.

“I am extremely proud of what you are doing because I believe it brings together economics and emotions. It brings together kindness, love and vision, to be able to take people and provide for them the opportunity which they need…to get their lives restarted,” she said in an address at the launch.

“This type of thinking is what is going to be needed to heal this nation and to help us reclaim the lives of people who have been harmed by the decisions and behaviours that they have engaged in, and then by a system that has failed to help them reintegrate.…”

The minister pointed out that several people are impacted when a family member is incarcerated.

“There is a family who is left behind, there are children who are not cared for, and the end result is that sometimes those children, not having the support and the family life that they need …can find themselves going down a path that is less than practical and useful for their own lives. And, so, the spiral continues and flows from generation to generation,” husbands said.

The cooperative society was registered on March 2, 2023, with the vision to raise public awareness about the discrimination and stigmatisation faced by formerly incarcerated persons. Its mission is to secure employment for its members, in addition to promoting their economic interests.

Minister Husbands said the society’s objectives of providing self-help groups, counselling, job readiness and re-entry services, including housing, are of great value and would significantly benefit members.

In his remarks, Registrar of Co-operatives Brent Gittens said he was “very optimistic” that this society would play a positive role in the rehabilitative process of formerly incarcerated persons.

He told the audience: “The Alliance of Reform Minded Entrepreneurship Co-operative Society Limited is another shining example of volunteerism and rehabilitation. It is the first such society in Barbados and across the Caribbean, as far as we are aware, which encapsulates within its by-laws that its members must … have been impacted by incarceration, either directly or indirectly, or be a person who seeks reform of the criminal justice system through progress lobbying and activism.

“This particular by-law sends a strong message that this cooperative is very serious about focusing on that segment of the society that is so often neglected and shunned, as well as focusing on the need to re-examine our criminal justice system.”

President of ARME, Glenroy Babb, said the cooperative society is focused on moving forward in a unified, collective and progressive manner. He said it is committed to assisting those persons who are incarcerated, and those at risk of going to prison, among others.

“We are creating…a sustainable cooperative that is going to help and assist those who are serious about their reintegration, as well as their family members….  The Alliance … is committed to giving and providing second chances and opportunities to those who are serious,” he said.

“We are embarking on something that is not business as usual in Barbados…, and we will be tackling it head-on to assist those who are serious about reformation, rehabilitation, reintegration, and to help to eventually reduce recidivism in this country.”
(BGIS)