By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames said yesterday officials are currently reviewing legislation to introduce a parole system that will allow for the reintegration of offenders into society.

The Bahamas currently does not have a parole system. However, the Parole Bill, once passed and enacted, will seek to establish one in hopes of improving the country’s rehabilitative justice system.

Yesterday, Mr Dames could not say when the bill will be tabled in the House of Assembly, but noted that a special committee under his ministry is doing its due diligence to ensure all the proper mechanisms are in place to support the bill once it becomes enacted.

He told reporters outside Cabinet: “Yesterday, (Monday) I met with chairman (Paul) Farquharson and he is the chairperson of the Rehabilitation of the Offenders Committee and that is the committee responsible for making recommendations to the minister on persons who actually have a police record and who have been reintegrated into society and now are looking for that record to be expunged.

“We had a very good meeting yesterday because we’re trying to move now towards tabling the Parole Bill and developing a system of paroles and that will enable more persons to be given an opportunity to be rehabilitated and reintegrated.”

Asked if people could expect to see the bill being tabled in this parliamentary session, he replied: “Well, you know I’m hoping… we’ve been spending some time going through the bill. I have a committee that is reviewing the bill so they’re currently going through the bill because we want to make certain that at the end of the day that we can support whatever is in the bill.”

In 2016, the Christie administration appointed a Parole and Re-entry Steering Committee to propose a policy framework for a parole system and interventions for a seamless process to reintegrate past offenders into society.

However, legislation to establish the parole system was never tabled in Parliament by the former administration.

The Parole and Re-entry Steering Committee was chaired by Paul Farquharson, the former Commissioner of Police and Bahamas High Commissioner to London.

Mr Farquharson currently serves as a chairman for the Rehabilitation of Offenders Committee.

Yesterday, Mr Dames also gave an update on the work of the committee, telling reporters that officials continue to see increased requests for record expungement.

“Now, according to chairman Farquharson, we are seeing an uptick in persons seeking to have their records expunged and that is a good thing. I believe yesterday he told me they are reviewing somewhere in the area of 25 to 30 requests for expungements and that number has gone up,” he said.

“So, we continue to appeal to persons out there who feel that they are ready and who feel that they are properly reintegrated to submit a request. We have a very competent committee who is responsible for reviewing these requests.”

Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Amendment) 2015, people who have committed murder, manslaughter, treason, armed robbery, rape or possessed dangerous drugs with the intent to supply cannot have their records expunged.

But after five years, most others are eligible if they are first-time offenders or were younger than 21 at the time of their first conviction.