PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – The Department of Justice and Pointe Blanche Director Edward Rohan have been successfully working on a 14-month plan with Probation Department Head Cynthia Filomon and Fennix360.
This is the first successful Electronic Monitoring Program in the region, given the expenses the aforementioned department faces with each inmate costing the state US $225 per day. With the use of the FennixShackle (ankle bracelet) at a cost of US $25 per day per inmate, the St. Maarten Government will now save an average US $6,750 per inmate monthly.
In the past St. Maarten tried to implement the program with two other providers, but they both failed. The company now providing the successful technological solution is Fennix Global Technologies with their exclusive monitor INMATES brand.
Fennix Global Technologies is an American-based company established in Panama. The company is one of eight companies around the world, who provide technological solutions catered to the Criminal Justice sector. Chey Rodriquez is the CEO of the company, and has appointed Arthur Lugisse as Executive Representation in the Caribbean.
Ryan A. Clarke is the CEO of CSSI Comprehensive Security Solutions Inc., a Barbados-based businessman with vast experience in the security sector. Clarke has been actively working and supporting St. Maarten Probation’s Department, Police Department and Prison Facilities, for more than 14 months.
Recently, Rodriguez visited St. Maarten and was accompanied by his corporate team, Joan Gomez, Esq, Director of Expansion, and Harys Vizcaino, Director of Software Engineering, to familiarize them with the situation on St. Maarten. The program will now get a new software called Fennix360 and a Third Layer Monitoring Center. “Our company’s infrastructure is world class, providing various layers of redundancy to our customers,” explained Rodriguez.
“Located in Santo Domingo, our Regional Monitoring Center interacts with local authorities once an Alert or Notification reaches the 5-minute mark,” continued Rodriquez.
“Fennix Global Technologies is the only company in the industry that is 100% Private Capital (all from Puerto Rico),” and Lugisse is also the company’s Executive Regional Director, explained Rodriquez. “I have known Mr. Lugisse for the past six years, who is a local businessman and has been busy expanding our brand throughout the Caribbean region.”
Rodriquez and Clarke explained, “”We are here in St. Maarten because we are meeting with our local partners UTS, and other groups moving forward for Fennix360 to donate the Prison Telephone System to the State Prison Facilities.”
Dutch side inmates will benefit from a state-of-the-art solution, which will make communication with their loved ones better.
“The total cost of the implementation of our Prison Telephone System is over US $100,000, which will be donated to St. Maarten by Fennix360. We are doing so because we understand other islands also want to receive this solution and St. Maarten has been our foundation in the region,” continued Rodriquez and Clarke.
Other solutions are in the pipeline for St. Maarten. “Fennix360 is looking to the future to establish our Virtual Court (VC) and our Prison Management Systems (PMS). The VC will reduce the operational costs and risk for the inmates’ transportation from point to point, back to the prison, while the PMS will provide more information to the administration of the Prison.”
The company is in a strategic alliance with the Dominican Republic Judicial Observatory and have worked in Regulations and Laws, helping governments establish better practices by success stories. St. Maarten has an established program that will continue to expand with trendsetting solutions in the region.
Rodriquez and part of his team left St. Maarten on Wednesday, May 25, after spending four days. However, Clarke stayed on to make presentations to different departments including UTS, the Justice and Probation Departments, and the Judges at the Court House.
Lugisse said the weeklong visit by Clarke was to offer St. Maarten international options in 24-hour Security Solutions, Forensic DNA property Marking, Criminal Justice Solutions, and also GPS tracking Devices and Solutions for boats, vehicles, containers and people.
In the coming weeks, more options will be presented to St. Maarten to help make it a safe place to support its main industry Tourism.
“In today’s world security is everybody’s business. Our mission is to make St. Maarten a safe place to vacation and live,” said Clarke.
Lugisse has already started collaborating with their counterparts in Tallahassee, Florida to also create joint venture opportunities based on their sister city agreement. For Security Rodriquez has an office and plant in Puerto Rico, and Clarke is based in Barbados and Suriname. AC Global Consultancy Services will represent CSSI locally.
Fennix360 has its local technical crew on St. Maarten and all its other subsidiaries. The two programs for St. Maarten House arrest and Prison telephone system will be up and running by July. Fennix360 platform is a system that will be used to track beneficiates, use VoIP, Chat, Emails, Project management Tools, Inventory and File system. Clarke is also working with Madzy Georgetin, coordinating with groups in Suriname to develop their Safety and Security platform.
The delegation briefly met the Prime Minister and Minister of Justice during their short visit.
