Persons committing petty offences should be granted bail- Ramjattan

Oct 13, 2019 News

The Minister of Public Security, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, is calling on the magistrates at the courts to grant more bail to first offenders and those who commit petty crimes.
During a Kaieteur Radio programme, “The Political Show”, the Public Security Minister stated that it costs the Government of Guyana some $492,000 per inmate, per year to keep them in the prisons.
“That is a constant cost for their transportation to the magistrate’s court, especially those on remand who are awaiting their trials, the security arrangements that have to be put in place, and feeding them when they come to Georgetown,” Ramjattan explained.
He added that he does not want Guyana to be deemed a “jail house nation”. It is in this regard that he appealed to the magistrates, and to some extent, prosecutors, to grant more bail to offenders.
“Not for the robbers and the bandits, but for small offences,” he stated.
“A young man steals a mango—you got to put the man on bail. The minute you put him in the lockups and in the jail, they [the prisoners] graduate and they start talking to the senior convicts. That also graduates them into more negative behaviour,” Ramjattan related.
The Public Security Minister suggested that persons who are convicted should conduct community service as a penalty.
“I am against jailing, people say that I am too liberal with these things, but I am against for any little offence, you jail people.
“It also damages family. I have asked the parole board to deal with more matters. The parole board used to deal with so few matters prior to 2015. But now there is a liberal ministerial structure that would get on with the business,” Ramjattan concluded.

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