The Roman Catholic Church wants the wider national community to have its say on the call by Archbishop Joseph Harris for provisions to be made by the Government to pardon deserving prisoners, especially those incarcerated and awaiting trial for periods of time longer than what they would have served if found guilty.
The petition initially sent out to Roman Catholic churches across the country is now available online to the wider community, both Catholic and non-Catholic.
Chairperson for the Archdiocesan Year of Mercy Committee, Sr Renee Hall told the GML Enterprise Desk the archbishop has agreed to an online option which would allow anyone wanting to sign the petition to do so.
There is an option on the link for people to say whether they want their names to appear publicly or not.
Harris is hoping that “as many people as possible will sign this petition so that the powers that be may hear the desire of the people to make this land, our home, a more merciful place.”
Meantime, relatives of prisoners incarcerated for minor crimes say they fully support the archbishop’s call which can give “new hope to the poor justice system.”
The GML Enterprise Desk spoke with relatives of inmates outside the Golden Grove Prison where we found a mix, some charged with more serious crimes, including manslaughter, possession of cocaine, but quite a few told us their relatives had been charged with possession of marijuana.
“Carl” (not his real name) told us: “Imagine my brethren in there for having a ‘lil weed’. That is a joke. I feel the jail supposed to be full of killers, rapists and child molesters.”
“Rookmin” (not her real name) had a similar view. Her son is in prison for possession of marijuana.
“I agree with the archbishop, is real stupidness that a man will get hold with weed and he in jail because he can’t post his bail. The system needs to change,” she said.
“Carl” is advocating that the authorities “decriminalise the weed. It have nothing wrong with it. Why lock up a man for having a little weed?” he asked.
He said the way the system worked was skewed against poor people because “no bailiff will tie up his property for $1,200 bail for a man charged with possession of weed. You go tie up big property for that small charge? They should introduce some kind of fine system, so every time you hold somebody with weed they have to pay a cash fine.”
He said the fine could be increased for the person every time they are held “so if it reach $5,000 you don’t think a man will get fed up and stop committing the crime?”
He said many of those in prison on petty crimes could afford cash bail but they have no choice but to stay behind bars because of the bail system.
Rookmin agreed. She said to get bail one needed to ensure that the property being put up was ‘clean’, meaning that the property must have no encumbrances, “that is no mortgage and that all taxes are paid.”
But she said it was difficult for a bailiff to want to put his property up for $1,200 or $1,500 bail for someone charged with possession of marijuana. Relatives, she said, could not afford to put up property “because we don’t have.”
The direct link to the petition site is https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/year-of-mercy-tt-pardon-for-prisone...
ROSEMARIE SANT
GML ENTERPRISE DESK