SOCIAL IMPACT/USAID visits AG to evaluate juvenile justice in Guyana

Georgetown: As efforts continue to ensure that at-risk Guyanese youth receive maximum benefits from the United States Agency for International Development’s new Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Project the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs on Monday met with officials from the Social Impact/USAID Monitoring and Evaluation Team to further evaluate the present system of juvenile justice that prevails in Guyana.

The Social Impact/USAID Monitoring and Evaluation Team are presently conducting vigorous monitoring and evaluation of the system to track and support the attainment of project objectives.

The evaluation aims to ensure that program interventions are evidence-based and both USAID and the government of Guyana learn from the approaches utilized and the reforms enacted.

 The YES program will support the reduction of youth involvement in crime and violence in targeted communities in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, with particular focus on Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia.

The team, which consisted of Dr Dianne Williams, Reform Study Lead, Ms Lily Hoffman, Project Researcher, and Ms Caroline English, Evaluation Field Coordinator, met with the Attorney General and staff from the Chambers’ Drafting Division, Mr Charles Fung-A-Fatt SC, Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Mrs Ananda Dhurjon and Justice Zuru, Drafting Consultants with the Division and Ms Joanne Bond, Senior Parliamentary Counsel.