December 12,2016
…says candidates not fully eligible
After pardoning some 60 criminals on two occasions last year, President David Granger has stated that no convicts were pardoned during the Independence celebration this year since none of them fully met the criteria set out.
The pardoned criminals programme is an initiative of the Guyanese Leader to give young “petty” offenders a second chance at life. The criteria used to select the beneficiaries include prisoners who are facing short sentences; those incarcerated for petty, non-violent offences; and those between the ages of 18 and 24.
However, speaking on his televised programme – The Public Interest – President Granger explained that while there was a list of persons selected to be pardoned using the criteria set out, many of them were convicted on cocaine trafficking charges, an offence which he considers serious, given the country’s ongoing battle with the illicit drug trade.
“I didn’t pardon anyone at the time of Independence because many of the persons who would have normally been eligible for pardon were in fact convicted for trafficking cocaine – not possession of a few grams of marijuana but trafficking. I’m not going to tolerate trafficking, I’m not going to tolerate murder and I’m not going to pardon anybody who’s got blood on their hands,” he posited.
According to the Head of State, while he would like to see more young people out building a life for themselves and their families instead of being in jail, he will not be pardoning anyone who has not fully met the criteria outlined.
Successful programme
“There is a policy, there are criteria for determining who is likely to be pardoned and generally, I would continue to pardon people who met those criteria but so far persons who have not met those criteria will not be pardoned. I don’t pardon people for the sake of pardoning, I pardon people to give them a second chance,” the President asserted.
On the other hand, Granger believes the pardoning programme is successful, referring to two instances where beneficiaries of the initiative had taken full advantage of the second chance to turn their lives around.
He noted that only a few weeks ago, a female who was pardoned last year graduated from the ‘Sustainable Livelihood Entrepreneurial Livelihood’ (SLED) programme.
The President added too that he is heartened to see the positive impact of this programme particularly as it relates to the young women and mothers who were given an early release from prison.
“I’m very happy from time to time to receive letters particularly from women who have been pardoned and who are grateful. They felt that that pardon has turned their lives around…So I think that the quality of mercy, the quality of compassion is an important quality for a Head of State to possess,” he stated.
While President Granger confirmed that no prisoners were released for the Independence celebrations, he did not say whether the pardon will also be extended for the Christmas season as was done last year.
In addition to the 40 prisoners who received pardons in June 2015, last December the President extended pardon to another 20 female prisoners who are mothers so that they can return home to spend the holidays with their children. However, only 11 of them met the criteria and were released. A similar situation had existed in June of that year, when the President announced pardons for some 60 prisoners but only 40 were released.
This decision of pardoning criminals had caused and continues to build uneasiness among Guyanese, especially business owners. Persons were also calling for the identities of these convicts to be made public, however it was explained that this would hinder the reintegration of these young people into society.
But this position changed back in May this year, when Kelvin Bates, 19, among the first batch of pardoned prisoners, was charged for a spate of robberies in Corentyne, Berbice. Minister Ramjattan had subsequently told Guyana Times that he will consider releasing the names of the new set of prisoners who were scheduled to be released this year.
“Of course if asked, we will release the names of all those who will be pardoned. It is an obligation in the name transparency that the Minister release all the names of those who are on parole and pardoned,” he had declared.
Not reckless
Meanwhile, the Head of State, during an edition of ‘The Public Interest’ programme earlier this year, had admitted to a Guyana Times reporter that Government cannot totally prevent a pardoned individual from relapsing into criminal activities, but maintained that he was not reckless in releasing those prisoners last year.
“It wasn’t reckless. I’m not a reckless person… I am advised that it’s not a reckless plan, there are criteria concerning their age and the possibilities of that person rejoining society and there is a scheme they can do some form of rehabilitative training or education but in the final analysis, it is impossible for the State to guarantee there will be no relapse into that criminal behaviour,” President Granger had asserted.
Moreover, the Guyanese Leader further pointed out that the initiative cannot be judged based on one individual, highlighting the success of the others.
He went on to say that criteria used to select the pardoned beneficiaries are strict, hence only 11 of the 20 females were released in December and only 40 of 60 in May last year.
