Do you think the justice system is working for you?
In the most recent murder of San Ignacio resident, Marlon Rivera, the culprit was identified as Dionicio Salazar, by the surviving victim. Salazar was initially convicted for murder, but on appeal, he was freed despite the testimony of an eyewitness. Earlier today in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, four persons were released even before proceeding to trial for the October 2009 murder of Randy Coye. If you have been following the news, you would also know that far many cases have ended in nolle pros. We ask this question: Do you think the justice system is working for you?
Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your vote on our e-poll at channel5belize.com. You can also send an e-mail with your comments to questions@channel5belize.com.
There’s no question the justice system is NOT working for the people of Belize. Police and prosecutors all need professional training. Laws need to be changed so that the slightest imperfection in the DPP’s case doesn’t cause a case to be thrown out and killers set free — to kill again and again. Prison cannot be a “revolving door” for criminals — it needs to be the end of the line for them.
Truly, only a very small number of career criminals are ruining this beautiful country and the lives of 300,000 GOOD Belizeans. Let’s get rid of that tiny cancer before it kills the whole body.
Our justice system is a big joke.lol.
I totally agree with u gustav.
What justice system? I was not aware that one existed in Belize.
I totally agree with Heavenlyblaq. The whole system itself is criminal starting with the government as the head leader.
We as Belizean must demand compitent people in our government to uphold the constitution of our country, we must demand honest and respectable police to patroll and protect the law abiding citizens of our country and we must demand harsh and stringent punishment for the criminals that constantly defile our beautiful jewel. Too long have the citizens of this county been held prisoner’s of their own city, they can not even venture out of their homes after dark for the fear of being robbed or worst get kill because of a few earthly possesion. I feel so HURT and DEVASTATED to see my paradise become a place of dystopia.
Is the Justice system of Belize working for us? For most people, there’s an obvious answer to this question but first we need to analyze all the components of our Justice system, in order to understand how exactly it’s failing us and hopefully, come up with an urgently needed solution.
In Belize, we can divide our Justice system into four main components:
1. POLICE and law enforcement officers: They are the first contact of our Justice system and are responsible for receiving and documenting reports of crime, investigating the reported crimes, gathering and securing evidence, and arresting alleged offenders.
2. Office of the Director of Public Prosecution ( DPP ) : They should be directly responsible to the victims of crime, more so than the Police who may not have all the necessary info. The DPP’s office should have Personnel responsible for keeping victims apprised of the status of their case, representing the victims’ interests in all court appearances, plea negotiations, at sentencing, and vigorously prosecuting anyone who threaten or harm witnesses.
3. Then there’s the Judiciary component ( COURT – Judges Magistrate ) who are responsible for deciding whether to grant bail or not to offenders, oversee the trial where the indicted offender is determined to be guilty or not guilty and in the case of the latter, determine the final sentence of the convicted offender.
4. Finally, we have the Correction Facility. Such facility is responsible for maintaining the security of the facility, providing internal supervision of inmates, providing medical care for inmates whenever necessary, and Processing of inmates for release from the Institution.
In Belize, the KOLBE FOUNDATION is where we house our major offenders and we got to be honest with ourselves: Is Mr. John Woods competent enough to carry out the responsibilities of this very important leg of our Justice system?
Maybe we need our own band of “Untouchables.” In the 1920s, when Al Capone and other gangsters terrified the States, the government formed a small band of police of unquestionable honesty. That small honest band went straight after the heads of the gangs, and brought them down, one by one. If we can find ten totally honest and competent officers in Belize, and one honest and competent prosecutor to direct them, I believe our country can be saved for our children.
I was a public prosecutor in Los Angeles, California, for a good many years, and I have visited Belize many times over the last 20 years. In the 70s and 80s part of Los Angeles seemed like the worst parts of Belize City, with crack cocaine gangs killing rivals and bystanders alike, every day. We studied and found that 50% of the violent crimes were committed by a tiny number of professional criminals, people who lived entirely as outlaws. My boss formed a special unit to focus on those few, and we studied them, tracked them, and quickly put away most of them for long, long prison terms. We recaptured many neighborhoods from crime, and made the area safer for the good people. I would wager that if Belize did the same with the 100 worst “public enemies,” the country would again be “The Jewel” for the law-abiding people.
Our Justice System is a joke, sorry to say, but i simply cannot understand how a “crack head” gets 7 or more years for stealing something or the guys caught with a little weed get the same time while the cold killers & the money launders walk free…the system is a joke, maybe when the crime hits higher hights (politicians themselves & d rich) maybeeeeeeee then it will work. Just my 2 cents no disrespect to anyone.
We need curfew, & any youth or young men etc caught on d streets & not in school are placed in the BDF or Police force, if they escape pick them back up & let it be mandatory if not in school thenu serve the country that should help to put some morals in our youths braines, but we talk too much in Belize we got to take action.
R,B says: June 21,2010 at6:48 pm Therese you are so right about the youths I think it should go a bit further the government should pass a law for a military draft system like America had as late as the 70s where all youth male n female at the age of 18 must sigh up for the draft and serve four years this I think will save the youths of Belize from getting into gangs and other problems that will eventually cause them to end up in jail…Action must be taken immediately to turn this country around…
What happen to our sweet Belze young people, the ones that knew and respected God and women and children. Take heed, be not deceived God is not mocked, for what-so-ever a man soweth, that shall he also reep. Vengence is mine saith the Lord, please give our children back their freedom, our young ladies back their dignity and the elderly back their respect.
Please young men, what is it going to profit us to just keep killing each other, we are loosing our soul to the devil, you are going to burn in a pit of hell one of these days, please young people, don’t take out your fustration on each other, give it all to Jesus, He died for our sins, don’t let God lay down his judgment on little Belize, don’t, he’s not happy with Belize right now and he will allow something drastic to happen, if we don’t get it together. PLEASE PLEASE GET IT TOGETHER, PLEASE, you are creation destruction on our country. Accept Jesus into your hearts and live a better live.
Love
A Belizean born
Our justice system works only for the criminal element in our Communities.
I think it is time that government should put the question about the death penalty to a referendum so we can begin to give justice to families who continue to mourn the death of their loved ones as a result of senseless gun violence.