The Parole Board after careful contemplation and hearings of three parole applications, recently submitted the outcome of their deliberations to the Probation and Parole Services Unit. The applicants are all inmates at the Bordelais Correctional Facility (BCF) currently serving life sentences.
After presiding over the three respective parole hearings which were conducted in December 2021, the Board has granted parole to one of the applicants.
There are stringent requirements to be satisfied before the Board reposes its confidence in the individual who is being granted Parole. These considerations include that the inmate has an impeccable incarceration record, has been involved in rehabilitative activities and demonstrates the ability to reintegrate peacefully and productively into the society.
Assistant Director of Probation and Parole Services Mr. Cuthbert Henry, gave the assurance that the process of granting Probation is not taken lightly by the relevant authorities.
“The Board sets out strict orders for these individuals to be supervised by our Department. As it relates to the other individuals, the Board made observations of areas that need to be addressed for future parole applications. In this regard, the Probation and Parole Services will work with the Bordelais Correctional Facility to the benefit of all future applications.”
The Assistant Director of Probation and Parole Services, Mr. Cuthbert Henry, also explained how the status of the individual would be modified as he enters the parole programme of the Government of Saint Lucia.
“We welcome this individual to a Parole regime of success currently in effect, where our current clients have settled well and are contributing sufficiently and meaningfully to the Saint Lucian society. We also continue to solicit the support of the citizens of Saint Lucia in all aspects of rehabilitation, reintegration and resettlement of our clients.”
This is the second round of Parole hearings as the programme marks one year since its inception in December 2021. Mr. Henry addressed the burning question as to why the identities of the inmates who have been granted Probation are not publicized.
“Probation and Parole Services, as well as the Parole Board, does not at this time make disseminating the names of the successful applicants or the denied applicants a matter for public fanfare so to speak. The Parole activity is a public function of the criminal justice system; that arm of the criminal justice system where the media is able to attend a parole hearing and concerned members of the public can ask to attend a parole hearing.”
Mr. Cuthbert noted that the focus of the one-year-old Parole programme is placed on realizing successes and on meeting internationally approved best practice, while adopting the best approach for the Saint Lucian jurisdiction.
How the Parole Board would deceide if the bread earner or any of ” his” family member was be the victim ?
Is this an experimental thing with three Con men, or are we to expect more? we want to know after this experiment, is the flood gates open for more? and if things fail, who are we to hold responsible? Will they be o.k. for visa to travel abroad, or be given the green light to accept jobs, say agriculture – farm jobs in the U.S. or Canada, or go make a new life in Europe or U.K.? frankly, with things as hard as it is in St. Lucia, this is the wrong time to let these guys loose, except perhaps the pit-bull has some of the usual for them.