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The Trinidad and Tobago prison system continues to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into rehabilitation programmes that, on paper, are designed to reform offenders—but in practice are being overwhelmed by entrenched gang culture, low literacy levels, weak post-release support, and a system insiders claim is continuing to churn out criminals.
Last week, Guardian Media explored overcrowding as a key driver of recidivism, as experts argued that T&T prisons are functioning more as holding facilities rather than correctional institutions. This week, the focus shifts to prison gangs and the extent to which they are undermining rehabilitation efforts, shaping inmate behaviour, and, in some cases, perpetuating cycles of violence that continue outside the prison gates.
Last Friday, during the debate on the Parole Bill 2026, Justice Minister and St Joseph MP Devesh Maharaj said data showed that more than half of people released from prison go back to commit a crime. Speaking to Guardian Media, former prisons commissioner Hayden Forde said the core issue is not the absence of programmes, but the failure to properly identify and treat the root causes of criminal behaviour. While some have argued that literacy levels are low in prison, so programmes cannot work, Forde dismissed this argument.
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