JAMPACT HOSTS DISCUSSION ON THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND CULTURAL IMPACT OF VIOLENCE IN JAMAICA

PANEL TO EXAMINE THE CAUSES OF AND INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS THE RISE OF
VIOLENCE IN JAMAICA

March 24, 2005, New York, NY ---Jamaica Impact, Inc. (JAMPACT) is hosting a panel discussion, Violence in Jamaica: Investigating Root Causes and Economic Impact, to look at several issues central to the rise of violence in Jamaica. Featured panelists include Dr. Donald Robotham, Professor of Anthropology at the City University of New York Graduate Center and expert on public policy and violence in Jamaica; Carmeta Albarus, a social worker and advocate for Jamaican deportees who testified at the Lee Malvo capital murder trial; Christopher Charles, researcher and expert on garrison politics and gangs; and Lieutenant Colonel Oral Khan, Senior Director for Strategic Planning, Policy, Evaluation and Research in Jamaica's Ministry of National Security. The event will be moderated by Maureen Denton, President of the Research Committee of Jamaica. It will be held at John Jay College of Criminal Justice - Rm. 1311N - North Building on Wednesday April 6th at 6pm.

The core of the discussion will focus on various root causes of violence - including social and cultural influences - as well as address various social programs and initiatives in place to address the issue in Jamaica.

RSVP: jampact@jampact.org by, Monday, April 4th
WHAT: JAMPACT Panel Discussion---“Violence in Jamaica: Investigating Root Causes and
Economic Impact”
WHEN: Wednesday, April 6th, 6pm
WHERE: John Jay College of Criminal Justice
1311N, North Building
445 W.59th Street (At 10th Avenue)
New York, NY 10019
Subway: 1, 9, A, B, D to 59th Street & Columbus Circle

To learn more about JAMPACT, please visit our website at www.jampact.org

Lieutenant Colonel Oral Khan

Lieutenant Colonel Oral Khan is Senior Director for Strategic Planning, Policy, Evaluation and Research in Jamaica’s Ministry of National Security, having been seconded to the post from the Jamaica Defence Force. He held prior senior appointments in the JDF including Infantry Battalion Second-in-Command, Commanding Officer of the Support Battalion, Commandant for the Caribbean Junior Command and Staff Course, and Staff Officer for Operations and Training at the Force Headquarters.

His appointments throughout his military service have seen him being involved at the tactical, operational and strategic levels of Jamaica’s security apparatus. He has also written papers on The Military’s Role in Resuscitating Failed Inner-city Communities,” “Community Protection in Inner-City Kingston” and “The Counter Terrorism Capacity of Caribbean Security Forces” the latter two of which have been published.

Lt.Col Khan is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and the United States Army Command and General Staff College. He holds a Bachelors in Management Studies and Masters degrees in Development Studies, and Military Arts and Science. He is also a Fellow of the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington DC.
Lt Col Khan is a born again Christian and is married with two sons.

CARMETA ALBARUS

Carmeta Albarus-Rodney, a former teacher in Jamaica, is the Founder and President of CVA Consulting Services, a forensic social work firm based in New York City. She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and is a licensed clinical social worker. She has worked as a death penalty mitigation expert for over 16 years. Within this framework she has been qualified as an expert in social history investigations and psychosocial assessments in both state and federal court. She has consulted on a number of high profile cases, including the teenage DC sniper, Lee Boyd Malvo. She has assisted defense attorneys in a number of states including New Jersey, New York, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Maryland, Florida, Georgia and the District of Columbia. She has presented at numerous death penalty and sentencing seminars nationwide where she raises the issue of cultural sensitivity and the advocacy process.

Additionally, Ms. Albarus-Rodney is the Founder and Director of FURI (Family Unification & Resettlement Initiative) where she works in close collaboration with other charitable organizations in providing tangible assistance to individuals who have been deported to Jamaica. She received the Jamaica National Association’s Marcus Garvey Award in Washington D.C. on August 14, 2004. This award was in recognition of her outstanding work on behalf of Jamaican youths in the United States and in Jamaica.