By CELESTE NIXON
Tribune Staff Reporter
cnixon@tribunemedia.net
THE crime situation will remain the same as long as those in power benefit from it, said Bishop Simeon Hall.
Bishop Hall said Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson's contribution to the Senate this week attests to the fact that lawyers look for loopholes in the system.
"I am convinced that some lawyers are comfortable with things being as they are so that they can benefit economically from the state of things," he said.
"The existence of some 400 plus persons out on bail and the abuse of the system by some lawyers, reflect miserably on those persons responsible for it."
More than 400 charged with murder in the last decade are on bail, revealed Mrs Maynard-Gibson in her contribution to the 2012-2013 budget on Monday.
As a matter of public safety, she said it is concerning that an accurate record of how many people are out on bail has not been kept.
"At the moment we have to aggressively address the woefully inadequate record keeping," Mrs Maynard-Gibson said.
"This is because the inadequate record keeping produces unreliable results."
Mrs Maynard-Gibson said she will make every effort to get to the bottom of the matter and determine the exact number of accused murderers out of bail.
According to Bishop Hall over the last 10 years, both political parties played the "name and blame game" while both are responsible for the current crime problem.
Bishop Hall said he hopes the new government will take steps to address the issue and not just point out the justice system's shortcomings.
"Each and every new Attorney General," he said, "points to the failures in the system, most times leaving it as they met it. I am hopeful it does not happen this time.
"For the Bail Act to be remedied, it might call for Constitutional changes, then who better to lead the way than the legal minds that framed it."
Comments
spoitier 12 years, 4 months ago
Lawyers maybe looking for loophole in the system but that is what lawyers do. The problem I see is the government using the bail system as a form of revenue and that is the reason why people with extensive crime records keep getting bail, also to citizens of the Bahamas, we know that lawyers are shady characters anywhere in the world on both sides of the coin, a defense lawyer would try and get the worst person free for a fee and a prosecution would try and send the best person to jail if he could build a good case, and the Bahamas as well as the rest of the world beleive that our leaders should be build up mostly of lawyers. Why is that? These are the same people who represent drug dealers, rapists and murders and we make them Prime Ministers and ministers of other post, what do we expect them to do about the system? They already get people off on crimes, so naturally it wouldn't be hard to past laws or not change laws that will be hard on crimes.
Guy 12 years, 4 months ago
Please educate us. How does the government earn revenue from bail applicants? I'm confused.
spoitier 12 years, 4 months ago
You don't get out on bail for free right? and if someone putting a house or something is the only thing you would have to do then instead of me educating you, you need to educate your government because it makes absolutely no sense.
JohnBrown 12 years, 4 months ago
Quickly, the police and lawyers must now round up all known and potential dangerous criminals and instead of placing them on bail just simply place them on an Agricultural Chain Gang in Eleuthera or Abaco until their case comes up in a year or two, and whilst such criminals are shackled, make them work hard to develop marketable agricultural produce for export and economic growth.
On the other hand, if the authorities don't want to act then why not let the criminals round up the police and lawyers and place them on the above named islands Agricultural Chain Gang and make them earn an honest living in the hot sun with picks and shovels under the gun for ten hours each day? We know who they are and where they live. Chuckle, chuckle.
In reality, the U.S. power brokers are always pleased to be able to display to the world any black nation that is destroying itself, as is the case with most Caribbean nations. But not its secret order members…take a close look at its dollar bill.
Just remember that as the Bahamian system implodes, the U.S., which we are subjects and third class citizens of, but don’t realize it, will respond with destructive force to protect our political criminals, as a nation which our money is tied to. A nation that successfully promoted the destruction of the family structure over the course of the last three decades, wilfully allows over ten million children to go to sleep without food every night, and has not the will or desire to provide a job and security for each and every one of its citizens that wants to work and earn an honest living and thereby enjoy observing the peaceful development for their children. That’s real pain…and we want to be just like them… thank you Master John and Miss Ann…oh and please don’t forget Sambo. A crying shame and a big disgrace. Steel Pulse said “Who will save the human race?”
I belive they will remove the comments above because their is too much truth in them..
JohnBrown 12 years, 4 months ago
Now Mr Bishop, let's have a quite talk. Shall we? You seem to talk in a way that is apeasing to everyone. Well, that's not the way that Jesus handled it, I'm sure, he went into the temple and kicked not kissed butt. That's Bible. Have you ever ventured into the house of assembly, the cabinet, or the senate - senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class.- and in Jesus name kicked those rascals butts?
Furthermore, here is the show stopping question: Have you ever stood up in church and said to specific members that you could not in good faith accept their 100, 200, or 500 dollar offering, because you knew that they were not employed and that the money that they were giving was blood money recieved from their criminal children, and that you were not comfortable with accepting such funds? Or did you take it, in Jesus name? :)
Now that's a sharp pain not in the rectory, but in the rectum. Holy Ghost power moving just like a lightening...sorry, but I see the church as a global failure.
spoitier 12 years, 4 months ago
The church is somewhat a failure but don't let the government off the hook either.
CollegeKid 12 years, 4 months ago
The system is broken because too much corruption is involved; on the political end as well as on the legal end. It is sad, and we need to deal with it. Murderers should, under no circumstance, be granted bail; especially repeat offenders. It seems as though the leaders that be don't even watch crime shows let alone are educated in the area of criminal justice and prosecution. I feel as though many of we, the average citizens could do a better job!!! Schools keep record of their problematic children who are constantly getting suspended etc., yet our country has no record of murderers on bail??!!! The system is shattered!!
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