Council of Prison Chaplains and Ministers

31/03/2025

**Message to COPCAM from Madam President on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr 2025**
Brethren, “The crescent moon for the month of Shawwal 1446 was sighted in Saudi Arabia. -As-Salam-u-Alaikum wa-rahmatullahi wa-barakatuh" ("Peace be unto you and so may the mercy of Allah and his blessings”). Therefore, in joining members of the Muslim community, we must all recognise that despite the various challenges from time to time within the prison system, there must be continued appreciation of our diversity, our cultural variety, and the religions that occupy ministry within the prisons.
The religious tolerance and respect for each other, displayed within our diversity, must be recognised as part of the greatness of ourselves as a people, our land and as an umbrella body called COPCAM.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of COPCAM, members of my own family, and myself as President, I extend warm, celebratory greetings to all members of the Muslim community.
In Mecca in 610, the Holy Prophet Muhammad first received his revelations of the Quran. Two years later, he began preaching, establishing a small grouping, which flourished to become the fastest growing religion today, with its objective to create and cultivate, within man, the qualities and attitudes of peace, Islam.
The believers are those who, in their daily lives, recognise and accept the Creator, and His all-powerful laws of the universe, which govern everything in nature, and who devote their lives, honestly and faithfully, in obedience to Allah. It says that individuals who follow the path of disobedience to Allah will find, eventually, that their lives lead to only disgrace and ruin. Without Allah, their lives will be led astray, always; in the end, such persons fail to understand life’s genuine knowledge, purposes and its genuine concepts.
Islam says that to be successful in your life’s trials, use your free will, knowledge, and intelligence to recognise and submit to Allah. It also says that a man, who knows right from wrong and chooses the path of Allah, recognising His all-powerful attributes, knows then that he is on the right path.
Today, I urge all within this great organisation called COPCAM to join with our Muslim brothers and sisters in celebration, recognising that in essence, Islam means peace. Let us spread that peace across our sacred land, called Trinidad and Tobago. Today, the foundations of Islam warn that those who see only crime and violence, but not the face of God in their actions, will face the consequences -- even if they escape the hands of the law today.
May we all be mindful of God’s wrath and continue to recognise the alternative beauties He offers in our own lives.
Happy, Holy Eid-ul-Fitr.

31/03/2025

https://youtu.be/RpJFtDXJUn4
The Spiritual Baptist Liberation 2025 [In-Prison] Festivities occurred at the POS Prison. Lord Bishop Gordon Hoyte conducted them.

The Spiritual Baptist Liberation 2025 [In-Prison] Festivities took place at the POS Prison. It was conducted by Lord Bishop Gordon Hoyte.

24/03/2025

******GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT*******
I am honored to have been appointed to lead the Council of Prison Chaplains and Ministers (COPCAM) under the auspices of the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service (TTPrS). It is a privilege to work alongside such a dedicated team, committed to the mission of restoration and rehabilitation for all incarcerated individuals. Our hope is that, through our efforts, they will reintegrate into society as positive and productive neighbors.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to TTPrS and the COPCAM community for their trust and support. As we move forward in this important work, let us always remember to place God first.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." – Romans 8:28

24/03/2025

**PRISON NEWS----*New COPCAM Board handed their Instrument of Appointment: TTPrS Commits to Continued Faith-Based Collaboration*
The Council of Prison Chaplains and Ministers (COPCAM) elected a new Board of Directors for the term 2025-2028 at its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. They were handed their instrument of appointment in a brief ceremony on Friday 21st March at the Prison Administrative Offices, 10-14 Phillips Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service (TTPrS) via the Commissioner Mr. Carlos Corraspe, and Acting Deputy Commissioner of Prisons, Mr. Sherwin Bruce, recognizes the leadership transition as an opportunity to reaffirm its longstanding collaboration with COPCAM, built on shared values of rehabilitation, personal transformation, and societal reintegration.
The newly appointed Executive includes:
* Dallison Carrington Leon - Chairman/Director of Programs & Communications
* Rajkumar Ramroop - Vice Chair
* Robert Payne Jr. - Secretary
* Cindy Barker - Assistant Secretary
* Winston Roberts - Liaison Director
* Reginaldo Santiago - Member/Director---(Received virtually)
* Desmond Griffith - Member/Director.
For decades, TTPrS and COPCAM have worked hand in hand to introduce impactful initiatives that support inmate rehabilitation and successful reentry into society. This collaboration continues to demonstrate the Prison Service’s mission to create a safer and more inclusive Trinidad and Tobago.

19/01/2025

********APPOINTMENT OF NEW EXECUTIVE*******
The Council Of Prison Chaplains and Ministers (COPCAM) at its Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 15th January 2025 elected the following persons to serve as Executive Members for 3 years 2025-2028
Dallison Leon President/Programmes &Communications
Director
Rajkumar Ramroop Vice Chair
Robert Payne Jr. Secretary
Cindy Barker Assistant Secretary
Winston Roberts Liaison Director
(Vacant ) Treasurer
Reginaldo Felipe Member/Director
Desmond Griffith Member/Director
Members of the Prisons Executive were in attendance, including Mr. Carlos Corraspe - Commissioner of Prisons (Ag), and Mr. Sherwin Bruce - Deputy Commissioner of Prisons (Ag),
Commissioner Corraspe was invited to deliver remarks at the event, emphasizing the transformative power of Faith-based initiatives. In his address, he highlighted the importance of embracing opportunities that foster growth and rehabilitation, urging members of COPCAM to grasp the opportunities that are and will continue via the Programmes and Industry as vital steps toward personal responsibility and societal reintegration. Commissioner Corraspe highlighted the continuity of former Commissioner Mr. John Rougier's work via faith-based providers whose sole mission as the civilian arm of the Prison Service comprising Chaplains and Ministers of all religious denominations functioning within the Prison System with the mandate to address, via spiritual orientation, the needs (spiritual, moral, social, physical and educational) of inmates to assist prison staff in providing for the development and rehabilitation of inmates in preparation for their successful re-entry into society.

01/05/2023

We start a new day of a new week of a new month with images of our contingent at the Point Fortin Borough Day Celebration.
Wishing everyone a safe and blessed week ahead

03/04/2023