A report on the administration of justice in The Bahamas ...and improving the justice system in The Bahamas

IDB Concerned With Bahamas Justice System

by Ianthia Smith
The Bahama Journal




Officials at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have expressed major concerns with the administration of justice in The Bahamas, particularly as it relates to the low conviction rate and the fact that more than 300 accused murderers are out on bail.

In fact, the IDB is so concerned with the dismal statistics that the organisation has pledged to pump $250,000 into improving the justice system in The Bahamas.

In a recent report, the IDB said during the 2005 to 2009 period only 5.1 per cent of murder cases resulted in convictions, adding that within the last five years, 305 accused murderers have been released on bail.

“This situation can partly explain why The Bahamas, although superior to the regional average, has recently shown a marked decline in its values for the world governance indicator related to the rule of law,” the document added.

That figure dropped from more than 85 per cent in 2007 to just over 65 per cent in 2011.

The report went on to point out that in The Bahamas there is consensus about the limited institutional capacity of the justice system to respond to the public’s demands and added that this situation is contributing to the recent dramatic increase in incidents of violence and crimes that remain unresolved amid an increasing judicial backlog and a diminishing number of convictions.

“Today, few people doubt that sustainable development depends on the credibility of the legal system, the quality of the legal framework, the effective protection of property rights and the honesty, effectiveness and efficiency of the agencies in charge of applying the law to specific cases,” the document added.

“To properly perform its role, a justice system should also be expeditious, which means that the system effectively completes cases in a reasonable time.”

It is for that reason that the IDB has approved technical cooperation for a pilot project to support the government’s Swift Justice Programme and has committed to giving The Bahamas $250,000 and an additional $24,000 local counterpart funding, to assist with this fight.

To improve court reporting and transcript generation, which the IDB notes still consists of a transcriber, while the modern digital court reporting includes broadcast quality microphones and digital recorders, the IDB has committed $110,00 while another $77,000 will be to support the implementation of an integration justice information system with an efficient business model that will seek to strengthen cooperation, coordination and communication among the Attorney General’s Office, the police and the judiciary and $66,000 will go towards the reduction of the Supreme Court’s backlog.

But with this technical cooperation comes risks, the IDB noted that the government and judiciary may not be sufficiently coordinated, there may be difficult interaction between the different government agencies as well as delays in execution due to a lack of knowledge and experience with IDB-financed operations.

November 20, 2013

Jones Bahamas

Caribbean Blog International

The fact that persons are now engaging in vigilante justice in The Bahamas... is an indication that they don't have any more faith in the criminal justice system

Aggressive methods needed in crime fight


thenassauguardian


The criminals in this country don't fear the government at all. They don't regard the laws of the land. I understand that approximately 300 or so career criminals are the ones responsible for all the mayhem currently being experienced in Nassau. These villains are holding over 200,000 law-abiding citizens of New Providence hostage. I have also noticed a very dangerous trend that is currently developing in Nassau. It appears that some of the friends and family members of murder victims are now hiring hit men to bump off murder suspects who are released from prison. The government must now take its head out of the sand and face this reality.

The fact that persons are now engaging in vigilante justice is an indication that they don't have any more faith in the criminal justice system. They are just fed up with the system. As far as these vigilantes are concerned, the justice system has failed them miserably. Therefore, since the system is hell bent on releasing these cold-blooded murderers, the vigilantes are now going after them.

The justice system is breeding a whole new kind of criminal in this country. Analysts have been warning for years now that this very dangerous situation would occur if the system continued to tap murderers on the wrist. No one paid them any mind. Now the chickens have come home to roost. My brother told me that while working in a barbershop in Freeport he overheard a young man who appeared to be very upset, vowing that he would take revenge on a person he believed had murdered a family member of his. This person was livid that the justice system had let the suspect in the case get off scot-free. I believe that the government must now move to implement drastic measures in order to put an end to the crime wave that is gripping The Bahamas.

The murder rate has skyrocketed in 2011. We have had a staggering 72 murders committed in just over six months in this small country. We are becoming like lawless Jamaica. Armed robberies and house break-ins are rampant, especially in the inner city communities of Nassau.

Governments were instituted by God to punish criminals. When the government fails to carry out its God-given mandate to punish murderers, thieves and rapists, then these monsters continue to break the law.

The government has been too soft in its approach to dealing with these criminals. It is high time that the government starts executing murderers and rapists. The criminals who are terrorizing Nassau know that institutions such as the Privy Council are fighting tooth and nail to keep them from marching to the gallows.

The government should immediately abandon the Privy Council. We are an independent nation. We have been independent now for 38 years. Why is the government so afraid to execute convicted murderers?

A relative of mine told me that a young man who was convicted of murder bragged to her about killing a young woman who had rejected his sexual advances. According to my relative, the ex-convict appeared to be very proud that he had killed another human being. There was absolutely no remorse in the young man. These are the kinds of people defense attorneys are fighting hard for. Yet, we wonder why so many persons are now taking matters into their own hands by engaging in vigilante justice.

The family members of murder and rape victims know that the culprits are going to get a simple tap on the wrist for their hideous crimes. The government had better start executing convicted murderers before this new trend gets way out of control. Otherwise, Nassau will become another Dodge City.

The government must also give serious thought to implementing corporal punishment for sex offenders such as pedophiles, sodomites and rapists. These sex offenders should be flogged in public. Those who are contemplating committing rape, or any other sexual offense, would think twice before going through with the crime if they were to see a convicted sex offender publicly humiliated. These rapists must be taught a lesson.

In regards to armed robbers and thieves, the state should make them pay restitution to those they stole from. For instance, if a thief steals a $800 laptop from me, he should be made to pay me fourfold for his theft. That would mean he would pay me $3,200 for my laptop. This was the law that God gave to Old Testament Israel in Exodus chapter 22.

I understand that the prison system already has a work program. The thieves should work off their debt before being released from prison. If they are unwilling to do this, then let them rot in prison.

I often hear people talking about convicts paying their debts to society. But how is a convict paying his debt to society when he hasn't been forced to make some kind of restitution to the person he wronged? He may have repaid the state by serving time in Fox Hill prison, but let us bear in mind that he wronged a citizen, not the state. This is unfair to the person who was wronged. This has to change in order to bring to a screeching halt this menacing crime wave that is destroying this country.

Additionally, persons found in possession of illegal firearms should get an automatic 10 years in prison. There are too many illegal guns on the streets of New Providence. Regarding drug traffickers, they should be put to death. Drug trafficking is a capital offense in Singapore. Drug dealers would think twice before engaging in their illegal trade in this country if such a move is made.

How many people have died from drug overdoses? How many of us have had items stolen from us by drug addicts, who then sold them in order to buy more drugs? I believe many of the murders committed in this country are somehow connected to the illicit drug trade.

Granted, these are radical suggestions. But, these are unusual times.

Jul 15, 2011

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International