The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SOME convicted criminals could be labelled dangerous and ordered to be electronically monitored for up to 20 years after serving their sentence, according to National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, whose ministry is consulting stakeholders on the matter.

 “If we know where you are, you may not be so free to reoffend and so that to me is a much more robust protection for the public,” he said.

 Such a provision could be included in an upcoming parole bill, which he hopes will be tabled in the House of Assembly in March. He said his ministry would consult Court of Appeal judges, the Bar Council and the Bahamas Christian Council. He said his team had received no negative feedback on the proposal.

 “In Canada, they have a concept that you could be deemed a dangerous criminal on conviction and that may justify you being sentenced to life in prison for serious acts of violence or serious sexual offences, and the parole board cannot release you, unless you’re deemed no longer to be dangerous,” Mr Munroe said.

 “If you do not get sentenced to life, the court can sentence you to a set period of time. And if they deem you dangerous, I can order you to be supervised up to 20 years after your release and that can include supervision as far as electronic monitoring.”

 Under the long-promised parole system, convicts would be released early.

 “If you’re sentenced to 40 years for murder, you get four months off for every year for good behaviour, so you get 160 months off, so that’s more than 12 years,” Mr Munroe said.

 “So, although you get 40 years, you end up on serving 30 something and if you get out and you commit a crime the next day, you’re never held accountable for the time you got off. Parole changes that.”

 Mr Munroe said the legislation would deal with probation, suspended sentences, and conditional release for offenders, among other things.