NASSAU, The Bahamas – The production of license plates has begun at the Bahamas Department of Corrections. During his contribution to the budget debate on June 12, 2017, Minister of Transport and Local Government, the Hon. Frankie Campbell confirmed that the work started on May 29 after being launched earlier this year.
He said that the relevant license plate equipment, computer hardware and software have already been built, installed and are fully operational. Further, he added that training of managers and inmates has been completed and the production of the plates commenced on May 29 with duplicate plates. Currently, license plates for public service vehicles are being produced.
He said that this joint venture between the various government agencies is part of the rehabilitation process for inmates and is a ‘good’ example of cross ministries cooperation.
“It is also aimed at eliminating the deficiencies that existed in the previous system of license plate production, while providing an income source for inmates in their rehabilitation process, before their return as productive citizens of the society. He said that this effort also provides the Road Traffic Department with the opportunity to create a new registry of vehicles traversing the streets of the country.
The equipment, hardware and software for the license plate system come at a cost of $750,000, and the projected maintenance cost is $75,000 annually. The production of the plates will require the Ministry of Finance to pay salaries to inmates chosen to participate in the project. The estimated cost for 20 inmates’ salaries is $124,800. Additional costs not yet factored into production total approximately $350,000 for the purchase of supplies.