EDITORIAL: Re-examine sentencing measures
WORD is that Government is considering the use of alternative sentencing for minor crimes, given that the cost of maintaining inmates in Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds is increasing every year.
Reports are that it takes $32,000 to keep a single prisoner at the St. Philip-based penal institution for just one year. It has been further revealed that the prison population consists of over 800 inmates, which means it costs taxpayers just over $27 million per year to maintain those prisoners. Contending that it does not make sense to place those who commit minor offences with hardened criminals, those at the helm are said to be considering alternative sentencing measures for such persons.
Now it is a well-known fact our local prison is fast becoming overcrowded and there is a view that those who commit minor offences should not be made to just sit in prison, whilst the taxpayers foot the bill. That said, we need to perhaps look at how we treat to those offenders who commit harsh and violent crimes and ensure that they stay off the streets, so we do not constantly see instances of persons just getting a slap on the wrist or bail, so they can come out and commit the same or other severe offences.
Labour programme needed
What we also need to look at, is having some kind of labour programme for those able-bodied males who are going off to Her Majesty’s Prisons Dodds. A farm programme used to be in operation at the Glendairy Prison, which previously was in swing at Station Hill, St. Michael. Though it is said that some type of programme still exists in some form or fashion at Dodds, we need to see a more structured farm programme set up that would allow inmates to be more self-sufficient and even give back to society via what they produce, whether it be via crop or livestock production.
This country could do with some debushing and there is much work to be done clearing our roadways and cleaning up the country in general. Why can’t some of the inmates be put to work, in a secure way, to ensure that Barbados is kept in a good state? There is a view that inmates simply sit in prison, some go through a rehabilitation programme that does not always work and others read, paint and draw and are assured meals, whilst the average citizen has to eat bread by the sweat of his or her brow. There is the feeling that some hard work up at Dodds or on some structured programme, would help some of the youth getting involved in crime, to realise that there are no free rides in life and prison really is no badge of honour.
So yes, maybe it is time that we explore alternative sentencing measures for those minor offenders, but we also need to re-examine how we treat to those who commit severe, violent crimes including gun-related crimes, to cut down on the rate of recidivism and to ensure we send a message that we are serious about tackling crime on a whole in Barbados.