In 2013, Jonelle Samai began her educational pursuit in the field of psychology at the University of the West Indies (UWI) open Campus. After attaining her diploma of psychology, she went onto UWI’s main campus where she enrolled in Sociology. It was during this time where she discovered her passion for the criminal justice system and social injustices and therefore decided to combine her love for both psychology and the criminal justice system. This led her to the field of forensic psychology. Subsequently, she left UWI and transferred to Barry University Miami which today remains one of the few schools who offer a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a forensic specialization.

While pursuing her BSc in forensic psychology, Ms. Samai was exposed to the fields of therapeutic jurisprudence, restorative justice, wrongful convictions and police psychology. By doing courses within these fields, she was able to intern at The Miami Dade Teen court and also sit in and assist at the Miami Dade County Drug Court. At the Miami Dade Teen court, much of her education was put into practical applications as the programs there helped non-violent youth to regain control of their lives and provide a safe and constructive environment for them to make amends for their offences. Ms. Samai worked with staff at the court conducting exercises which were therapeutic to the youth within the program and she also provided guidance and support for them.

During her undergraduate degree, much of her research focused on therapeutic jurisprudence which holds the view that the law has the potential to be a positive agent of change for those within the criminal justice system. Her final year research project was an exploration of the right of the mentally ill within the criminal justice system to have control over the type of treatment and therapy they are exposed to. The research also examined the most effective methods among those who need treatment and how the laws should be adjusted to make these provisions.

At the start of 2019, Ms. Samai enrolled in the MSc. of forensic psychology at Barry University where her current thesis research explores what factors contribute to drug use and

support for the legalization of drug use among Trinidadians. In July 2020, she also worked on the collaboration between UWI and Pan American Life Development Foundation who did research to explore the impact that Venezuelan migration had on Trinidad and Tobago’s first responders. Her role in the project was research compilation and analysis. She then went on to do research assistance with a PhD student at UWI whose dissertation is an examination of the Tobagonian perception of poverty and government social assistance. Her educational, career and humanitarian experiences continue to drive her ambitions in making the Trinidad and Tobago society more inclusive and beneficial to those within the criminal justice system.