Bail is not a fine

Feb 04, 2026 Dem Boys Seh, Features / Columnists

Dem Boys Seh…

(Kaieteur News) – Dem boys seh dem bin listening carefully—well, as carefully as dem boys ever listen—to all the noise lately ‘bout bail. Everywhere you turn, people vex. “How dem let he get bail?” “Is joke justice playing?” “Lock dem up and throw away the key!” Dem boys seh if complaining was a sport, Guyana woulda win by two goals to zero, and still ask fuh VAR review.

But here is where dem boys scratch dem head—carefully, because thinking too hard is dangerous business. A lotta people seem to believe that bail is supposed to be punishment. As if when police charge you, the next step is automatic suffering, preferably televised.

Dem boys seh bail ain’t punishment. Bail is not lash. Bail is not jail warm-up. Bail is not, “leh he suffer lil bit fuh now, just in case.” Bail is simply a security—money, property, or promise—that you go show up when court call your name. That is all. No more. No less. Is like when dem boys used to tell dem mother, “Ah coming back just now,” and she seh, “Leh me hold yuh phone.” Same principle. Security.

But in Guyana, dem boys seh we want bail to hurt. We want bail to pinch, bruise, and send message. We want bail to punish you before guilt even decide to wake up and come to court. Innocent until proven guilty? Dem boys seh plenty people treat that phrase like expired tin sardine—nice in theory, but dem ain’t eating that.

Dem boys seh some folks only satisfied if bail is denied, passport seize, dog seize, goldfish seize, and accused sleep on concrete while case take five years to call. Then, if the man acquit, everybody does blink and seh, “Oh… well, things happen.”

Dem boys seh justice is not revenge with robe on. Court is not Facebook comment section. And bail is not a mini-sentence to keep crowd happy. If bail turn into punishment, then trial become rerun, and verdict become afterthought.

So dem boys seh complain all you want—but remember, bail ain’t there to make you feel better. Is there to make sure accused come back. If we forget that, then tomorrow any of us could be punished first… and explained later. And dem boys seh that ain’t funny at all—though knowing Guyana, somebody would still laugh.

Talk half. Leff half.

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Bail is not a fine

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