Latest update January 5th, 2025 3:32 AM
Latest News
- ‘Citizens who wish to enter the political race should not be threatened’ – Nigel Hughes
- Contracts signed for construction of five new water treatment plants –Minister Rodrigues
- New Demerara River Bridge to be completed by August month-end – Public Works Ministry
- Biden notifies US Congress of planned $8bn arms sales to Israel: Reports
- Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves
Another plea for changes to the drug possession sentencing
Dear Editor,
I wrote a letter which was published by the Kaieteur News calling for the mandatory sentencing for possession of marijuana to be removed.I mentioned that in addition to the creation of social problems and pressures on families, in addition to the criminalizing of so many youths, the mandatory sentencing for possession is making the jails over crowded, the consequence of which we are experiencing even as I write.
I am once again appealing to the Honourable Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, who complained about overcrowded prisons and who blamed this on the crisis that resulted, to act speedily to have the Carrington’s Bill debated in Parliament.
In addition there is immediate need to do something re: the issue of bail. One young man was in a fight the police placed him on $20,000; he appeared in court with his father. He was then placed on $50,000 bail. The family borrowed the money to bail the young man. Were they unable to do so the young man would have been placed in jail. Why could the bail not have remained at the $20,000.
In another case a young man drove his friend’s car and was involved in an accident. No one was injured. The fitness was expired and he did not have his license with him nor the slip from GRA as his license was in for renewal. $20,000 each for dangerous driving (the police likes this, never careless driving), fitness, no license and breach of insurance, total $80,000. I wonder how many are in remand for the inability to raise the bail. Let’s say a person was found guilty and fined $100,000, and it’s usually x amount of money or x months in jail, and he does not have the money, then it is imprisonment that’s fanning the overcrowding.
These people as a result of imprisonment loses the little work they have.Cant we have alternative punishment, community service. Let them clean the drains in the afternoons and week end. How about if the person is sent to jail in a way that allows him to go to work and report to the prison after work and during the weekend. The reality is that it is the economically marginalised, the poor people, who end up in jail because of the inability to post bail or pay fines.
Years ago I wrote a letter in relation to the overcrowded prison as this is definitely not a recent development. I suggested that as we do not have the finance for a maximum security prison that the government should build a low security prison. It should be built and attached to it a state farm where they could work, earn money and produce to supply the prison system thus saving the taxpayers money.
The problem in Guyana is that our politicians seldom pay attention to ideas that are not generated within their tight circle and generally instead of listening they would move to lengthy defence of whatever they are doing.
In closing I would like to suggest that we swear in a few judges whose task is to deal with traffic offences. The accused appears before these judges and the judges hear the issues from various sides and rule. Too often traffic offences occupy the court and a number of persons for too long. I have known cases to drag on for over a year with the case being put off on another and another date. This clogs up the system.
I strongly believe that we need to act to creatively transform our judicial system especially in regards to small offences and some system be put in place to prevent poor people from being incarcerated simply because they are too poor to post bail and to prevent the imprisonment of our sons for minor offences simply because they are too poor to pay the fines.
Mr. Prime Minister and Minister Ramjattan over to you. Save our youths, empathize with the poor. Please move swiftly to reform the judicial system. It is my belief that we have a number of young and inexperienced magistrates. I am calling on the government to set up some kind of judicial tribunal to which appeals can be made by those convicted of non felonious crimes. Of course rules would be set to limit the flood gates. Maybe some of my suggestions are not feasible but please there are enough questions to force a speedy re-examination of our present system.
Rajendra Bisessar
LL.B, BSc.(Sociology)
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
The PPP is in self-destructive mode
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News –The PPPC is not some scrappy garage band trying to book a gig at the Seawall Bandstand.... more
Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- It has long been evident that the world’s richest nations, especially those responsible... more
Weekend Cartoon
