Sidney Sweeting, DDS (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)
At the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of East Nassau several years ago the speaker (a lawyer) was making her case for a request to Government through the sympathy of the public to stop the order for the death penalty of a convicted murderer. A member of the audience questioned why her voice had not be heard in sympathy for the victim and her family. She did not answer the question.
The question of whether the death penalty is a deterrent to crime can be debated ad infinitum but the fact still remains that justice needs to be served.
A lead story in the Tribune this morning stated "Convicted murderer released on two years probation." He had been sentenced to death but the London based Privy Council ruled that the Bahamas' mandatory death penalty was "unconstitutional." Senior Supreme Justice Jon Issacs "took into consideration" that the murderer had been incarcerated for 18 years.
I am wondering if it occurred to the Supreme Court Justice to also "take into consideration" that the victim Sherry Ferguson is still dead.
Bahamian Justice? An oxymoron to be sure, that doesn’t even exist. The stuff legends are made of.
The state of the justice system is right where the Political wants it to be.
What better way to do as one pleases without fear of recrimination or persecution?
There is the barest of veneers holding most of society together, but when that is gone, or stripped off as the last vestige of true self determination, there will be a great number of Diplomatic passport holding Bahamians shacking up in that nice new house in Atlanta.
Of course some will remain to sieze control of the remenants of what once was a jewel of a little country.
It truly is a disgrace, that which we have unashamedly become.
I could not agree with you or Dr. Sweeting anymore. I have never supported capital punishment on the basis that it stops crime, I support it because we must have an effective justice system where the punishment fits the crime.
Yesterday my Father witnessed a 40 ft container loaded with cases of juice. It was stopped in traffic in front of a Govt School. One of the teenage boys jumped up on the back of the truck broke open one of the cases and started throwing out juices to the other kids on the street………
From the small crimes to the big there are no consequences, so we are approaching a state of lawlessness.
And for those who feel that the murderers can be rehabilitated, then let them take them into their homes, take responsibility for them and rehabilitate them. But, if they commit anymore crimes both parties would then be held accountable.
I agree Jerome. This is one of our biggest problems.ANYONE, & I do mean ANYONE, who has any sympathy for these criminals should open up their own home to them, they can have them all.If we like it the way it is, leave it alone.I for one do not like it the way it is.Has the whole world gone crazy or is it me.I have had enough of “Criminal rights”.As far as I am concerned, the only cure for them is DEATH ! Think about it, you can replace all the material things in the world, but your family can not be replaced.
I think its well past the time in this country for victims rights.Somebody tell me where are the victims rights, please!Everybody should read the autopsy on any innocent murder victim in this country & then tell me what you think of criminals rights.Where in the world are all of the human rights people on this issue ?I like animals as much as anyone but pray tell me why is the outcry for animal rights so much greater than the outcry for victims rights ? Take the turtle as an example, they cry, “Please save the turtle”(which by the way, we have been eating for years) & the government puts a ban on turtles, yet with the amount of murders taking place along with the violent crime & you can’t here a peep !Minister Turnquest is all talk in my humble opinion, all talk.Again I say, show me, stop talking & get it done before all is completely lost.We need to start over completely with the Police force & get a law enforcement detail that CAN enforce the law of the land.We have to have some accountability.Frank Penn said it a long time ago & he was right !