Seated l-r, Minister Melissa Gumbs, Joseanne Peterson and Minister Nathalie Tackling along with Prison Management, The St. Maarten Library Management and inmates of the Point Blanche Prison at the signing ceremony.
POINTE BLANCHE--Access to books, knowledge and lifelong learning took an important step forward today with the signing of a Declaration of Cooperation between the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport (MECYS) and the St. Maarten Library, with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to establish a Satellite Library at Pointe Blanche Prison.
The agreement formalises a long-term partnership to restore and modernise library services within the prison, expanding equitable access to books, information and educational resources for people deprived of liberty. It is an important milestone in strengthening literacy, education and learning as part of St. Maarten’s ongoing Detention Sector Reform Programme (DSRP).
For many years, the designated library space at Pointe Blanche Prison has remained largely unused. Through this partnership, it will be transformed into a professionally managed satellite branch of the St. Maarten Public Library System, providing access to a multilingual collection of books, and over time to digital resources, audiobooks and other educational materials.
Prisoner resident O.C. said, “Reading gives you freedom that nobody can take away.” During the launch, UNODC highlighted Rule 64 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules), which recognises prison libraries as an essential component of humane prison management by calling for every prison to maintain an adequately stocked library and encourage prisoners to make full use of it.
The presentation also drew on the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Guidelines for Library Services to Prisoners, emphasising the role of professionally managed libraries in promoting literacy, learning and successful reintegration.
The Declaration of Cooperation brings together the complementary expertise of each partner to ensure the initiative’s long-term sustainability. The Ministry of Justice will provide space and institutional support for the library. MECYS will strengthen links with national education and literacy initiatives. The St. Maarten Library will manage the satellite library, provide professional support and train staff. UNODC will continue to provide technical assistance including reading programmes, staff training and some reading materials.
Beginning next week, professional librarians from the St. Maarten Library will train designated prison staff and selected prisoner library assistants in cataloguing, collection management, circulation procedures and day-to-day library operations before the library begins operations.
The Satellite Library Initiative forms part of the Ministry of Justice’s broader Detention Sector Reform Programme, implemented with technical assistance from UNODC and supported by various partners. By embedding the prison library within the St. Maarten Public Library System, the initiative will also strengthen continuity of access to library services and lifelong learning beyond release.
Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling said, “It is my hope that years from now, this library will not be remembered simply because it was opened, but because of the lives it quietly helped to shape.”
