Granger to pardon 60 minor offenders

May 26, 2015 News

…says ‘young people should be in school, not jail’
Families and friends of young, non-violent offenders, who have been incarcerated, can look forward to their return home with the hope that they find themselves among those receiving presidential pardon.

President David Granger

“I believe that young people should be in school, not in jail, and I have asked that emphasis be placed on young persons, and for petty non-violent offences, and sentences of short duration,” said President David Granger.
He announced that his government will annually grant presidential pardons to prisoners sentenced for minor misdemeanors. He told the media this yesterday during an interview at the Ministry of the Presidency.
President Granger said that today his administration will begin pardoning 60 convicts, between the ages of 18 and 25.
Then Head-of- State said that he had asked particularly for especially female convicts, “but apparently the females have not been misbehaving at the same rate as the males…It turns out that there is a small number of females too, who had actually committed minor offences.”
Nevertheless, the President said that many young men are in jail for frivolous offences. “Sometimes a man (is) in jail for stealing a cell phone. Go your way and sin no more…,” he said, adding that the offenders are “pretty young.”
President Granger noted that with the annual amnesty, consideration will not be given to persons who have been convicted for crimes of violence.
President Granger expressed hope that the youths will make good use of the second opportunity being afforded to them. “I hope they get back in school, get work, and get on with their lives. They do not belong in jail. They belong in school, at home with their families, be happy,” the President said.
Addressing the challenge the convicts will face in being reintegrated, President Granger said, “Most of them are young; most of them are misdemeanors, which are non-violent, and I do hope that we can reintegrate them by ensuring that we get them into training programmes.”
He noted however, “…the longer they stay in prison, the more difficult it would be to rehabilitate them.”
President Granger was also asked about former President Donald Ramotar’s pardon of Ravindra Deo, who was convicted for the murder of a child, Vishnu Bhim, which was committed 21 years ago at La Bonne Intention (LBI).
He responded, “There is nothing in the constitution that prevents him, but there should be something in his conscience which should have told him that this is not the way to go.” (Abena Rockcliffe)