Students from the Netherlands carry out research assignments for the Ministry of Justice
Philipsburg – Two groups of students of the study Security Management (Integrale Veiligheidskunde) of the Thorbecke Academy in the Netherlands have been carrying out assignments for the Ministry of Justice Sint Maarten.
The Security Management programme trains students to become a safety specialist with a broad perspective. Students take courses in the field of safety science, (administrative) law, research, psychology, policy, organization and management. An integral safety expert oversees the entire field of work. Within the programme students can specialize in minors such as cybersecurity, company operation safety, human factors, and law, governance and safety.
The Thorbecke Academy approached the Honorable Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson, in August of last year to inquire if the Ministry would be interested in creating assignment opportunities for the fourth-year students of the NHL Stenden / Thorbecke Academy. The Minister confirmed the interest of creating this opportunity for the students and together with the Department of Judicial Affairs several possible assignments were formulated.
The two groups of students chose each a subject matter for their assignment. The first group carried out an assessment of the personal safety risks of prison personnel. The other group chose to research the possibilities of establishing a sex offenders’ registration in Sint Maarten. This latter topic is one that was requested by Minister Richardson as there is an interest to establish the registry.
The first part of their assignment consisted of desk research as was carried out from in the Netherlands. Thereafter in November, the students traveled to Sint Maarten where they remained for four weeks and continued their in-depth research and speaking to the relevant stakeholders.
Their visit to Sint Maarten ended with a presentation of their findings to the Minister of Justice. It is the intention of the Ministry of Justice Sint Maarten to use the final reports of the students to address the subject matters on Kingdom level.
Minister Richardson stated, “I take this opportunity to once again thank the students for their hard work and enthusiasm to execute these studies for Sint Maarten. I look forward to receiving their final reports. By extension, I hereby express great appreciation to the academic staff of NHL Stenden, who are the initiators of creating this unique opportunity for the students and the Ministry of Justice.
I am profoundly pleased, and as such, also extend much thanks to the management and staff of the Point Blanche Prison (HvB), the Police Force of Sint Maarten, the probation office (Stichting Justitiële Inrichtingen Sint Maarten), and the Department of Judicial Affairs for their valuable contribution in making this venture a success and assisting the students in reaching their academic goals.”
