DEVPOLES strengthens probation services in Guyana

The Government of Guyana, through the Ministry for Legal Affairs and the Inter-American Development Bank, entrusted DEVPOLES to lead capacity building efforts for the country’s probation system. 

Foto credits: DEVPOLES backstopping team

Statement of the challenge

In Guyana, judges and magistrates have the option of both probation and community service orders as alternatives to imprisonment. However, these measures are scarcely used because magistrates lack the proper incentives to make use of these options, as confidence in the effectiveness of probation services to provide efficient supervision of offenders is low. This has in turn produced an overuse of pre-trial detention and an over reliance on custodial sentences 

Progress so far

DevPoles has completed the organizational assessment, mapped "as is" processes, administered a psychometric tests of all probation officers, determined areas for improvement in KSAs, developed results-oriented job descriptions as well as a performance apprisal programme.

SO far, our team has aleady trained two batches of officers in:

- Probation legal considerations

- Situational awareness  

- Defence tactics and lawful use of force 

- First aid for probations officers 

By delivering these services, the project led by DEVPOLES will contribute towards reducing recidivism and inmate population by improving the social integration of people in conflict with the law.

How can higher education institutions boost their economic and social impacts and contribute towards the SDGs?

DEVPOLES is leading the production of the study in close cooperation with the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the University of Barcelona, under the supervision of the IDB and the patronage of Universia Foundation-Santander. The ultimate purpose is to improve the understanding of the economic and social value of universities in selected countries from the double perspective of fostering an understanding among policymakers and the public about the value of university work for the countries and regions in which they operate, as well as generating recommendations for possible strategies to better align and update university curricula and activities with the characteristics and impacts of the ongoing technological revolution.

Foto credits: UNNOBA.

The IDB, in partnership with Universia-Santander, in October 2017 initiated a strategic process of dialogue and collaboration with public and private higher education institutions in Latin America under the premise that accelerated technological change is impacting different university areas and creating risks and opportunities for universities in the region. Some changes that have been identified include, but are not limited to: the generation of unforeseen competition, changes in research and academic careers, changes in the expertise needs of the business and public sectors, changes in the aspirations of young people, changes in training platforms, and changes in curricular content.

As a result, the institutions participating in the dialogue identified a serious gap in their adaptation to these changes and continued the discussion defining the detection of trends, strategies and possible lines of action.

Following the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic since March of 2020, the “social distancing” measures that have been taken to mitigate the spread of the pandemic have also generated a strong economic contraction that, in turn, has forced the digitalization of the productive sectors. Higher education institutions have been directly affected and obliged to modify their modes of provision and move towards tele-education. In the case of the Latin America, the scope of the response of many universities to optimize their teleworking and distance education capacities and maintain their cash flow has been limited, especially in the case of small and medium-sized higher education institutions.

This study is playing its key part in supporting universities in Latin America and the Caribbean to better understand how to accelerate and improve their insertion in the changing economic and technological environment brought about by the ongoing technological revolution. 

Dynamic stakeholder mapping now reaching its final stage. More than 300 key players engaged country-wide.

DEVPOLES specialists have finalized the field phase and are currently fine-tunning stakeholder mapping analysis and data visualization analytics for UNDP, including the deployment of a custom-made web application designed by DEVPOLES experts.

The mapping and analysis of key stakeholders will assist public-decision makers in making the right choices across the project management cycle, improving project identification, formulation and evaluation, and keeping project implementation risks in check, especially in contexts of complex interventions including the procurement of works, services and grants.

Copyright © 2021 DEVPOLES, all rights reserved.

Purpose and impacts

Indigenous peoples of Panama legally own a little over over 22% of the country's land and an important part of Panama's coastline, spread country wide in twelve counties and territories. However, despite their natural riches and economic potential, human development index remains well below national avarage.

Through DEVPOLES' dynamic stakeholder mapping, indigenous peoples will pinpoint themselves which stakeholders are authorized to express consent on behalf of their communities concerning initiatives that may have a positive or negative impact on their rights and natural resources. Ensuing economies of scale and scope, have enabled DEVPOLES' specialists to gather critical pieces of data beyond the classical power, interest and influence variables, to enrich evidence-based decision making thanks to this this state-of-the-art study.

During the course of this project, DEVPOLES has ensured the inclusion of a gender perspective and the contribution of indigenous women in decision-making, through specific gender-stakeholder consultations. Youth and senior community members have also been given special attention.

Copyright © 2021 DEVPOLES, all rights reserved.

Methodological scope

This latest generation stakeholder mapping includes georeferencing and discrete stakeholder dynamic diagnostics embedded in a single framework providing key insights vis-à-vis initiatives and public sector interventions with collective interest in each territory. More specifically, the study’s aims are:

1. Develop a dynamic analytical framework thaw il allow for the mapping of all key stakeholders in each of the 12 territories from a strategic perspective to inform the public decision-making processes; and that can assist in anticipating programmatic actions while minimizing risks.
2. Allow links to be made with key stakeholders via discrete dynamic diagnostics , ensuring their participation, to increase the probability of expected results by currently managing current demands and future expectations of each of the indigenous stakeholders in Panama (local, district-level, regional and national level). 

Globally, this process will make it possible to create an analytical framework from which any public intervention can be legitimized through participative identification with the indigenous beneficiaries, their hierarchy and socio-cultural structures, so that it is possible to assess which portfolio of tools and instruments, and strategies will be used for each of them and in each territory, according to the nature of the public intervention in order to comply with the sustainable development goals.

 Copyright © 2021 DEVPOLES, all rights reserved.

This project is being carried out in compliance with Panamanian Law 37 of 2 August 2016 and UNDP's Social and Environmental Standards.