The Tribune

By Leandra Rolle

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames said yesterday the government is preparing to establish a sex offender registry sometime this year.

“We would have laid (in Parliament), I did, last year, the regulations in relation to that. So, we will be moving now to put mechanisms and systems in place this year because it’s been laid,” said Mr Dames.

“The regulations are there, we promised it and we have laid it and so we will begin to roll it out during the course of this year and that will all come in line with (the) MARCO Alert system that is being introduced.”

His comments came a day after two Bahamian men were charged with sexual offences.

Calls for a public sex offender register amplified after the 2011 murder of 11-year-old Marco Archer.

Archer was killed by Kofhe Goodman. Although there was no evidence Goodman sexually assaulted the boy, Goodman had prior convictions for sex assault of minors.

In 2014, the Christie administration passed an amendment to the Sexual Offences Act that would establish a registry, but the law was never brought into force.

Four years later, the matter surfaced again when Mr Dames pledged the government would establish the registry before the end of 2018.

In 2019, he tabled draft regulations in the House of Assembly for a sex offender registry. However, this year, Mr Dames is hopeful that the registry will be finalised once and for all.  

The regulations propose that the commissioner of corrections has to notify the minister of a release six months prior to the intended release date of the offender.

In addition to this, offenders must report to the registry within three days of prison release. Notification also has to be given in cases where the offender is travelling out of country.

According to the regulations, victims can also be notified on an individual basis of a release to heighten their awareness of the presence of the offender in or near their area.

However, the police commissioner has to ultimately be satisfied of the need to protect the health and safety of the person.

The regulations also state: “Every person, having or having had an official duty or employment in the administration of these regulations shall regard and deal with as secret and confidential all information, books or documents relating to the register and the registry; maintain confidentiality of all information, books, record or other documents relating to the registrar and registry coming to his knowledge as a result of his duties under these regulations.”

It is not stated in the regulations nor the substantive law whether the registry would be accessible to the public. Nor is it clear when the registry will come into force this year.

Mr Dames maintains the Minnis administration is committed to addressing the issue of sexual assault in the country.