Halfway House Soon Come

PRESS RELEASE October 18, 2016

TCI Department of Mental Health & Substance Dependence

Halfway House soon to Come for the Turks & Caicos Islands

As a joint effort between the Drug Prevention Foundation and the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, a Half-Way House is coming soon to the island of Providenciales. This project is designed to assist in the re-integration of drug offenders placed on parole by the courts and to serve as an aftercare program for substance abuse clients who have completed inpatient services but need additional support.

It is also intended that this facility will serve as a custodial program for alternative sentencing of first time non-violent drug offenders. According to the president of the Drug Prevention Foundation, “this program will increase the participant’s ability to function in a socially acceptable manner and reduce their reliance on criminal behaviour as well as drugs/ alcohol and ultimately make the community at large a safer place”.

Other expected benefits of the project include:

• Reduction in recidivism among drug offenders
• Reduction in numbers of drug offenders
• Reduction in drug related crimes
• Reduction in the level of poverty associated with loss of income resources to substance abuse
• Maintenance of treatment gains by patients sent abroad for inpatient rehabilitation

The site for this new facility will be on South Dock Road, Providenciales and a ground breaking ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday October 21st at 11:00am.

For further information on this project, kindly contact the Drug Prevention Foundation on 347-2424 or the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Department at: 338-3613 in Grand Turk, or 338-4737 in Providenciales.

ENDS