Since I returned to Nassau in 1996, I have written several
times about the serious increase of crime in The Bahamas.
Each year the crime has gotten worse and worse. I am more
convinced that the real problem is that we are too laid back
as a people. More so, those parliamentarians who are in
position to change laws but refuse to do so are also
indolent.
In 2002, when the crime figures were not so high, I quoted
in my article “Fixing Our Nation” from Henry Thomas Buckle,
who penned the “History of Civilization in England.” He
wrote: "Society prepares the crime, the criminal commits
it." Why are we so angry at the criminals when, by our own
indecisiveness, have created them? Why are we so angry at
the criminals when we have provided the opportunity for them
to thrive as criminals? Why are we so angry at the
criminals when we release them to society to do more
crime?
Today I am angry, not just at the criminals, but with those
who can, by a simple vote, pass laws to prevent some of the
injustices in our land, but will not do it. We need more
gumption in 2015 to make the changes. Why are three-,
four-, and five-time murderers out on bail with neither of
the cases even dealt with yet by law? If there is a
loophole in the law, then fix it. I call on all
parliamentarians to fix it and fix it quickly.
Parliamentarians go to the farmland of intelligence and
resolve and garner the gumption (courage, spunk, guts)
to activate laws. The
giants of restlessness and violence are no longer in a
stupor. They are much alive and angry. The restraining
arms of good parenting can no longer hold back the forces of
revenge and hatred. We need help. The kind of help we need
cannot be activated by the pounding of desks in the halls of
Parliament. They need to “pound” out laws that are
practical and real to respond to the ugly beast of violence
in our land.
I am a great proponent of effective parenting to prevent and
reduce crime. I am also aware of the impact of poverty,
lack of education, unemployment, promiscuous lifestyle,
imbalance home structure on the development of and the
increase in crime. However, today, our society is so
saturated with the pest of crime that we need a powerful
exterminator to knock it out.
THE LAWS
Note that I am not writing this article as a student in law,
politician or criminologist. I am writing as a concerned
citizen who is a husband, father, grandfather, mental health
professional, and spiritual leader. However, I still feel
compelled to give a few suggestions to our Parliamentarians
to act on them swiftly. If my suggestions are already laws
on our books, then enforce them.
-
Create national curfew laws. Amazingly, most
tourists who visit our country are living in towns that
have curfew laws. Why are we so reluctant to have such
laws here? These laws are not to restrict freedom of
movement but to better monitor people after certain
hours at nights. My suggestion of the law is that no
one under the age of 18 should be outside in the public
streets,
parks, or open areas after midnight, without the
presence of an adult or adults, depending on the number
of minors. There should be fines for guardians whose
dependent children are on the streets after curfew.
Curfew can be from midnight to five in the morning.
-
Create illegal weapons laws. It is my view that
if someone is found with an illegal weapon on his
person, or in a personal property such as a home or car,
he should receive a ten-year prison term; even if the
weapon is disassembled, without bullets, or never
used. If the weapon was used in a crime (even if no
one was injured or killed), there should be an automatic
20-year prison term and an additional one year for each
bullet. If a person was killed with the weapon, the
perpetrator should receive a minimum term of life in
prison with no possibility of parole. The laws should
remove the loopholes to prevent or reduce significantly
criminals having bail.
-
Revise the speeding laws. It is my view that
the speed limits on the highways should increase from 45
miles per hour to 55 miles per hour and that high fines
should be applied for violating the laws. There should
be a special unit to monitor the highways with
surveillance cameras which have the capacity of taking
photos of the violations. Too many criminals are using
high-speed vehicles to escape the crime scenes. Raising
the speed limit and enforcing high fines may allow for
less violation of the laws by good drivers and help
expose the villains.
-
Revise minor offenses laws. It is my view that
our prison is overcrowded with persons who have
committed frivolous offences. The clutter has created
an unnecessary high expense to tax payers and a
considerable level of frustration to the alleged
criminals and the penal system. For example, far too
many persons are in jail for having in their possession
a small amount of illegal drugs and for committing other
minor offences. I am suggesting that when it comes to
illegal drugs, there should be a cumulative penalty
law. For example, If someone is caught with under one
pound of marijuana or half pound of cocaine, that person
is not put in prison. Instead, the person is fined and
required to do three months of community service. The
amount of illegal drugs is kept on record. If a person
is repeatedly caught with illegal drugs, there should be
a stiffer penalty each time. However, a prison sentence
will only apply when the cumulative amount reaches five
to ten pounds. This kind of approach will save money,
free the prison cells, and help the offender. Many
argue that prison helps create more criminals. When
someone is in prison for a very minor offence the person
can become bitter and revengeful. The prison term will
only be punishment but not rehabilitation. Once a
person is given a prison sentence that leads to a
release from prison, the Government is responsible to
provide rehabilitation.
-
Accelerate court proceedings. I think it is a
shame how backward the courts are with dealing with
cases. It is my view that the Government should go in a
crisis mode and have twelve months of serious
acceleration in dealing with criminal cases to ease the
back log and to enable current cases to move more
swiftly. Here’s how this can work. Increase
temporarily the number of judges and magistrates to deal
with criminal matters, even if it requires importing the
human resource. Then have twenty-four hour, six- or
seven-day a week criminal court. Increase the
remuneration of judges and magistrates or pay them
overtime fees as an incentive to perform well. This
will cost money, lots of it; however, it will save lots
more money in the long run.
-
Establish around-the-clock judges. When it comes
to domestic violence and intimate partner abuse, there
is a need for a more sensitive response from the
judicial system. A person who needs a protection order
on Friday night should not have to wait until Monday
morning. A judge should be on call to deal with such
matters expeditiously.
-
Revise protocols for minor offenses. I have
noted that when a judge suggests or orders a person to
seek counseling or other kinds of professional help
outside of the court, there is very little or no
protocol in place to monitor such cases. There should
be proper forms for referral and reporting. There
should be proper policies and mandates for what the
judges and probation officers should do in these cases.
It is also my view that protocols should be implemented
to give authority to police and probation officers to
require persons who abused their spouses and have no
criminal record to attend anger management/abuse
prevention group therapy. Also the records can be
expunged if the therapy is completed successfully and no
further offence has been committed.
These are only a few of the many suggestions on my mind. I charge
the power holders to garner the gumption to do what is
needed to act urgently.
Barrington H. Brennen is
a marriage and family therapist and board certified clinical
psychotherapist, USA. Send your questions or comments to
barringtonbrennen@gmail.com or
write to P.O. Box CB-11045, Nassau, The Bahamas, or visit
www.soencouragement.org or call 242-327-1980 or 242-477-4002
