By LEANDRA ROLLE 

Tribune Chief Reporter 

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AS the Davis administration prepares to debate legislation that would allow those sentenced to life in prison to be eligible for parole, Prison Commissioner Doan Cleare said it’s time for the public to accept this and “move on”.

His comments came as he addressed concerns from several residents who contacted this newspaper after spotting Kevin Patrick Hanna, convicted of killing his family, in public, and questioned whether he had been released.

Commissioner Cleare explained that Mr Hanna is part of a prison work release programme, which is why he has been seen in public.

Hanna was sentenced to life in prison for killing his father, mother, brother, and two sisters in 1984 when he was a teenager. Details of the case were widely publicised.

He was reportedly acquitted of murder charges but was found guilty of manslaughter by “reason of diminished responsibility” after a doctor testified that he suffered from mental health issues.

Four decades later, Hanna is said to be fully rehabilitated and regarded as one of the prison’s “best residents”, having participated in all available rehabilitative programmes at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

“Kevin Hanna is one of the best residents we have in this institution. He ain’t showing no signs, he is rehabilitated,” Mr Cleare told The Tribune yesterday. “There is no more programme I can push Kevin Hanna into in this institution. He has been through all of them, some six, seven or eight times. He’s now over 60 years old.”

He noted that Hanna has been on the prison’s work release programme for over four years and dismissed concerns about his public appearances, saying “society has more dangerous people on the road than Kevin Hanna right now”.

We have to realise that 99 percent of the persons who come to prison will be released eventually,” Mr Cleare added.

“Anyone who has been given the latitude of going to work on the release programme, they have an extremely good chance of being released.”

Mr Cleare explained that those sentenced to life in prison can be released after serving a period of time if the Prerogative of Mercy Committee decides they’re no longer a threat to society.

Although Mr Cleare believes Hanna would be a good candidate for release, he refused to say if his case was currently under consideration Prerogative of Mercy committee.

Concerns about the release of those sentenced to life in prison comes as the government prepares to debate Conditional Release of Offenders when Parliament returns after summer recess.

The bill, which has been in the works for over a decade, outlines the parole regime for convicts, including those sentenced to life imprisonment.

When sentencing people for life imprisonment, courts would be required to specify the minimum period of incarceration that offenders must serve before being eligible for parole consideration.

The bill says that period must “satisfy the requirements of retribution, deterrence, and

rehabilitation”. Murderers sentenced to life must serve at least 25 years.

Commissioner Cleare said when the bill passes, the prison work programme will end, making way for day parole.

People who are not sentenced to life imprisonment could be eligible for full parole consideration after serving at least sixty percent of their sentence and for day parole after serving 50 percent.