Minister Barrow signs parole system into law

After months of anticipation, Minister of National Security Dean Barrow has finally made good on a promise to implement a parole system. A statutory Instrument providing for the new initiative to start by the middle of the month was signed today by the Minister. A key component of the system is that an inmate will have to serve at least half of his or her prison sentence before being eligible for parole. According to Barrow the parole system will serve to test the rehabilitation of prison inmates.

Dean Barrow, Minister of National Security

“We have now been able to secure the cooperation of the public servants in the Ministry of Human Resources in particular who would act for us as parole officers. The Ministry of National Security simply doesn’t have the resources, the wherewithal, to recruit absolutely new personnel into the public service to become parole officers. So we worked out an arrangement that would see them acting as parole officers and that’s the break through that has allowed us to go ahead now and to implement the system.

Well it will certainly relieve the over crowding but far more importantly, it will give in particular the persons who are in the young persons, first time and young offenders program at Price Barracks at the Youth Enhancement Academy… It will give them a chance to feel that the efforts at rehabilitation, that we’ve made carry with them this other aspect that can see them come back out into the society before they’ve served their full term and have a chance to test what we’ve been doing and to test themselves.”

Once out on parole, the system provides that if there is a breach of the conditions or the commission of another offence by the parolee, he or she will immediately go back to prison. The new initiative will be administered by a seven member board of directors, chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security Carlos Perdomo.