Institute of Criminal Justice and Security

About Us

The Institute of Criminal Justice and Security (ICJS) of The University of the West Indies (UWI) is a regional research institution located within The Regional Headquarters of The UWI. Established to provide dedicated attention to issues of crime, security and justice in the Caribbean, its outputs are aligned with the needs of the people of the region.  

The ICJS:

  • Seeks solutions to the critical problems of crime and insecurity through research that is empirically based, conceptually sound and policy relevant;
  • Provides education and training that enhances the quality of leaderships in the fields of law enforcement, security and peace-building, and
  • Provides policy and technical advice based on comprehensive studies of the relevant issues.

Through these efforts, the human resource capacity in CARICOM member states may be improved allowing for more effective law enforcement, security and justice in the Caribbean.

The main activities of ICJS include:
  • Expanding and strengthening existing teaching and learning programmes, especially in criminology and security studies, and developing new ones to meet on-going needs of the region;
  • Developing a dynamic research agenda, empirically-oriented research programmes, and an environment that enables sound research for effective policy formulation and implementation; and
  • Expanding and strengthening outreach activities including engaging with policy-making and policy-advocacy groups within the Caribbean region.

The work of the Institute is carried out through its staff as well as faculty members across the four campuses of The UWI (Mona, St. Augustine, Cave Hill, and Open Campus).