ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION IN BERMUDA Redesign of the Bermuda Criminal Justice System and Associated Behavioral Health Care For the Island Government of Bermuda AHP managed a process to reinvent the Island’s system of justice and associated behavioral health care. The program, called Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI), established a system of restorative justice tailored to the Island people, culture, government, and business community. AHP managed the identification and organization of key stakeholders – including government officials, health care managers and providers, consumers, and others – to participate in a strategic planning process designed and managed by AHP. AHP also sustained the long-term involvement and support of participants. The reform effort, which included changes in the criminal code and the development of programs addressing drug addiction, anger management, battering, employment, and community service, reoriented the Bermudian restorative justice system towards a more client-centered approach that offers a continuum of services beginning with police and ending in the community. The new system is marked by greater collaboration amongst divergent agencies that are now linked by a customized management information system. Some of the ATI’s key deliverables included the establishment of a steering committee made up of government and private sector leaders, and the formulation of seven standing committees that made ATI design recommendations in specific areas such as community services, legislative, judicial, and management information systems. The ATI also launched several programs including one that provided work, skills, and training in independence and self-reliance for ex-offenders, a residential cognitive-behavioral program that focused on young adults, and another, a pre-release center called The Transitional Living Center (Half-way House). Four requests for proposals representing new ATI programs also were released. The ATI also oversaw the establishment of the fully-funded rehabilitation organization within the Ministry of Health and Family Services. The new organization is responsible for case management, assessment, probation, parole, community service, referral, and monitoring of offenders. To support the ATI in the future, a comprehensive training and professional development program for government and community based organizations was launched.
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