The Krusada Foundation on Bonaire receives subsidy from the Ministry of Security and Justice to finance eight placements for support for and reintegration of former prisoners. The subsidy is for a period of one and a half years, enabling Krusada to set up the project. In the meantime structural financing should be found. Krusada expects that it will be able to start providing support as soon as the first quarter of 2016.
There is great need for such support placement among the criminal justice agencies on Bonaire because there are prisoners who need a place to live and guidance after serving their prison sentence in order to be able to return to society in a good way. Since this support is not available at the moment many former prisoners soon fall back into crime.
There already are some suitable residential units on the grounds of Krusada. Thanks to the subsidy of the Ministry of Security and Justice it is now possible to recruit personnel for the guidance. Future residents will not only receive guidance and training but they will also need to spend at least 32 hours week on work or education. This way they will be prepared properly for a life in the free society.
The project will be called ‘Bario di Adelanto’: neighbourhood of progress. An appropriate name for a project which will help former prisoners to ‘get ahead’ again in life.
Kingdom Representative Gilbert Isabella is happy that the Ministry of Security and Justice has provided the subsidy to Krusada: “I think it is important that people get a second chance and are allowed to participate in the Bonaire society again. This project is really going to help with this and furthermore it will prevent relapse to old behaviour.”
The Krusada Foundation has supported people on Bonaire who are unable to cope in society since 1999. The foundation is firmly embedded in local society and makes personal and social-economic recovery possible.