The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Wayne Munroe said the long-delayed parole bill will soon be released online for another round of public consultation, as Commissioner of Corrections Doan Cleare urged the government to pass legislation he said has been 11 years in the making.

Speaking at a town hall meeting at CR Walker Secondary School on Wednesday evening, Mr Cleare said probation and parole were the missing elements of the country's correctional system and called for any remaining obstacles to the legislation to be removed.

“Whatever the impediment, let us remove it,” Mr Cleare said. “If it ain't perfect, pass it. That's the approach I'm taking now.”

Mr Munroe said he expects the Conditional Release of Offenders (Parole) Bill 2026 to be uploaded to Bahamas Laws Online shortly, giving the public another opportunity to comment before it is tabled in Parliament.

The Attorney General confirmed that he has the proposed parole bill as well as legislation dealing with suspended sentences, which will form part of the government's legislative package.

His predecessor, Ryan Pinder, committed during the opening of the legal year in January to introducing parole legislation in 2026. Mr Munroe said he intends to honour that commitment before the next opening of the legal year.

The latest push follows years of delays spanning two administrations.

The Christie administration appointed a Parole and Re-entry Steering Committee, chaired by former Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson, in May 2016 to develop a policy framework for parole and the reintegration of offenders.

In January 2021, then-National Security Minister Marvin Dames said a committee was reviewing proposed legislation but could not say when it would be tabled.

The government again anticipated introducing parole in 2023, when Mr Cleare announced that town hall meetings would be held that July to sensitise the public before legislation reached Parliament.

A draft bill was eventually released in March 2024, outlining eligibility requirements and proposing a 20-member parole board, but the legislation remained under consideration. The government has most recently anticipated passage before the end of 2026.

Mr Cleare criticised how long the process has taken and said the legislation is essential to completing the correctional system.

“You cannot say you have corrections if you don't have probation and parole,” Mr Cleare said. “Probation and parole are the last key elements to complete the correctional process. It is key. It must come.”

He said the original committee had urged him not to abandon the legislation and that he contacted chief legal counsel Paul Jones to revive work on the proposal. He said he is determined to see it brought before Parliament during this legislative year.

Mr Cleare said the proposed system would involve psychiatric and re-entry assessments and require inmates to remain drug-free and participate in educational programmes before applying for parole.

He also argued that parole could reduce crime, pointing to a conversation with the Turks and Caicos Commissioner of Corrections in Jamaica, who he said told him that 301 people were on parole under that jurisdiction's system with no reoffenders.

Mr Cleare said sustained employment while on parole could also help offenders remain in the workforce after completing their sentences, arguing that two or three years of regular employment could establish habits that continue after supervision ends.

He said The Bahamas is adopting the Canadian parole system, which he described as “one of the best systems in the world”.

Earlier this month, Ministry of National Security officials sought international technical assistance in anticipation of the proposed system's implementation.

Under the proposed parole system, qualifying offenders would be allowed to serve part of their sentences in the community under supervision, with breaches of their conditions potentially resulting in their return to prison.

Ministry of National Security officials have said the existing remission system, which allows eligible inmates to receive a one-third reduction in their sentences for good conduct, would be abolished when parole is implemented.

Mr Munroe stressed that the government wants further public input before the legislation is introduced.

He pointed to previous consultations in Eleuthera, where residents questioned whether Family Island communities would be guaranteed representation on the proposed parole board.

Mr Munroe said the concern was relevant because offenders could be released to Family Islands and local circumstances would have to be considered when parole conditions were determined.

He said the proposed board's structure was changed in response to that feedback.

Previous consultations on the legislation were held in New Providence and the Family Islands in July and August 2023.