By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of National Security has announced the relaunch of its Shock Treatment youth intervention programme, which officials allege was shelved for no reason by the Minnis Administration, “leaving troubled children out in the cold”.

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, QC, made the announcement on Friday at a press conference at his ministry.

The Ministry of National Security launched the Project Safe initiative on June 8, 2014. This initiative was a part of the Christie Administration’s drive to reduce the level of violent crimes in young people. The Shock Treatment programme was among the list of initiatives in the plan.

Shock Treatment was designed as an intervention programme to target young men who were susceptible to gang activities and other behaviour that would eventually lead to them becoming menaces to society.

“Sadly, this programme was halted by the Minnis Administration with no true reason as to why,” Mr Munroe said. “Hundreds of mothers and families eager to get some kind of assistance with troubled children were left out in the cold. The focus was on arresting the criminal rather than preventing a young man or woman from becoming one.

“It was a mistake that has made a lasting negative impact on our country’s fight against crime and violence. In the last few years, we have seen violent criminal behaviour by young people that is beyond shocking.

“Sadly, in the last five years, several of the boys we attempted to save with the original iteration of Shock Treatment were lost to violent crime.”

Once again Carlos Reid is set to head the programme which, as in the past, will have a reality TV series attached to it produced by Andrew Burrows.

Mr Munroe explained the format of the intervention programme. He said, “That is why we must do something and do something impactful. It is, therefore, my pleasure to announce that the Ministry of National Security will be relaunching the Shock Treatment programme and television show in January of 2022. The original agencies are once again steering the programme under the direction of Mr Carlos Reid.

“The programme enlisted five of the entities under the portfolio of National Security at that time: the Citizen Security Unit of the Ministry of National Security, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Bahamas Department of Corrections and the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas.

“The programme was designed to create a shocking experience for the participants who were prone to living a life that glorified all things wrong and violent in our society. They would be exposed to what life was like in the hands of the law at every step of our criminal justice system.”

In this programme, troubled youth get to experience what happens when people run afoul of the law. They enter the programme at a police station and over the course of a week they experience being interviewed by police detectives, being in a holding cell, being restrained and their movements managed by the police.

They are exposed to the realities of prison life and are also put under the supervision of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

Mr Munroe said that at every step of the way, there was a concerted effort to shock these children into understanding the consequences of the choices they make. “It was not all shock, however,” he said. “They were exposed to the power of positive choices too and also to alternative options for a better life.

“This programme was documented on video and presented to the public as a groundbreaking reality television series on the ZNS Network also called Shock Treatment. The popularity of this programme helped to propel the message that the limited size of the cohorts could not.

“The government was serious about its commitment to the fight to prevent a lost generation of killers, robbers, rapists and career criminals from happening. We saw a direct correlation between the efforts to prevent young men from becoming criminals and the eventual outcome of crimes.”

Mr Munroe said this time around, there will be a more streamlined and targeted approach in order to tackle the problem being faced.

He is encouraging parents and guardians of young men and women who are presenting challenges in the home, at school or may appear to be headed toward a life of crime to contact the Shock Treatment Secretariat in order to enroll their child into the programme. They can be as young as 10 years old.

The numbers for the Secretariat are: (242) 601-4842 and (242) 601-4360.