National Security Minister Wayne Munroe.
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
SOME convicted criminals could be labelled dangerous and ordered to be electronically monitored for up to 20 years after serving their sentence, according to National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, whose ministry is consulting stakeholders on the matter.
“If we know where you are, you may not be so free to reoffend and so that to me is a much more robust protection for the public,” he said.
Such a provision could be included in an upcoming parole bill, which he hopes will be tabled in the House of Assembly in March. He said his ministry would consult Court of Appeal judges, the Bar Council and the Bahamas Christian Council. He said his team had received no negative feedback on the proposal.
“In Canada, they have a concept that you could be deemed a dangerous criminal on conviction and that may justify you being sentenced to life in prison for serious acts of violence or serious sexual offences, and the parole board cannot release you, unless you’re deemed no longer to be dangerous,” Mr Munroe said.
“If you do not get sentenced to life, the court can sentence you to a set period of time. And if they deem you dangerous, I can order you to be supervised up to 20 years after your release and that can include supervision as far as electronic monitoring.”
Under the long-promised parole system, convicts would be released early.
“If you’re sentenced to 40 years for murder, you get four months off for every year for good behaviour, so you get 160 months off, so that’s more than 12 years,” Mr Munroe said.
“So, although you get 40 years, you end up on serving 30 something and if you get out and you commit a crime the next day, you’re never held accountable for the time you got off. Parole changes that.”
Mr Munroe said the legislation would deal with probation, suspended sentences, and conditional release for offenders, among other things.
Comments
Sickened 10 months, 3 weeks ago
How many things are wrong with Munroe's comment. I am all for severely harsh punishments for criminals and highly support the death penalty and flogging, BUT I don't see how it can be considered legal to electronically monitor someone who has served their time. If someone is considered a dangerous criminal then certainly the length of time they are remanded should reflect how dangerous they are. If the court considers them too dangerous to be in public then sentence them to life in prison. Don't release them and think an ankle device, where the criminal is responsible for recharging that device, is a serious option. We all know that the monitoring system is highly flawed.
ScubaSteve 10 months, 3 weeks ago
Spot on comment... agree 100%!!!!
ExposedU2C 10 months, 3 weeks ago
Munroe is completely incapable of formulating any kind of meaningful national security policy for government to consider. And Davis knows it!
ThisIsOurs 10 months, 3 weeks ago
Lol. "monitored for 20 years", they cant find them after 2 weeks
Sickened 10 months, 3 weeks ago
And for those people being monitored after serving their time, what's the punishment if they fail to recharge their ankle bracelet or check in to a police station? Are they going to be charged with some crime and be sent to prison? Do we even have a law on the books that would allow such a person to be charged? I don't think so. It's not like he's on bail and there are bail conditions that he must follow. Just ridiculous!!!
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