Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Harris is blaming the country’s education system for failing the nation’s youths, many of whom are now involved in criminal activity.
He said if the education system is not fixed, young people will continue to overcrowd our jails.
Harris made the comment at a panel discussion entitled-Remand Justice—God’s Law at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus, on Thursday.
Addressing attendees, which included Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard and legal luminaries, Harris, who in April led a petition seeking to free remand prisoners who have been behind bars longer than the maximum prison term they would have gotten if they had been found guilty, admitted that an “inadequate system of education” was now having a “negative consequence” on our youth and nation.
“We have not as a people developed a system of education which takes into account different aptitudes and different learning systems. We push everybody into the grammar school type of education. The result of that, is that, we condemn many young people to be considered failures and to consider themselves as failures because they leave school without any O-Level passes.”
Harris said many teenagers abandon school because there is no interest. “I myself suffered from that.”
The Archbishop recalled attending St Mary’s College and breaking his father’s heart because he did not want to study, when his dad felt he had the potential to obtain a scholarship. After leaving Form Five, Harris said fortunately for him, he got a calling from God.
“The important thing is this...because of our education system so many of our young men and women after school begin a life of petty crime and then graduate to more serious offences. Our education system is basically a rebel school education system. People who don’t have the aptitude get left by the wayside and that is a breeding ground for remand.”
While attempts are being made to correct the wrongs at Remand Yard, Harris said, “I think the problem goes further in how do we stop people from going into remand. The question is whether or not Remand Yard as it exist, is equipped to help those in remand come to and understanding of freedom.”
That freedom, Harris said was not being allowed to do what one wants, but being allowed to do the best that one can for others and oneself.
Harris said the release cannot be done “willy nilly.” He called on citizens to cultivate a habit of putting others first. “Putting others first is one of the most important lessons that we have to learn in life.”
Harris said it was the responsibility of any government to ensure that all citizens are treated fairly “ to achieve what is good both for the wider community and for themselves.”
Statistics obtained, Harris said showed that the rate of repeated offenders by former attorney general Garvin Nicholas was 53 per cent.
“These are prisoners who are released and are returned to jail in three years. What are the reasons for this?” He cited three reasons—the inordinate time it takes to bring a case to trial, the inhumane conditions prisoners are subjected to and the breaking of the law by the Government.
“A society which treats its most vulnerable...those who are deprived of their freedom in ways that are totally inhumane is a society that wants to destroy itself. We live under a Constitution that says one is innocent until proven guilty. Persons held in Remand Yard are legally innocent...they have not been tried. And while there may be reasons for removing the freedom of persons allegedly guilty of heinous crimes it is a breach of natural justice and of human rights to keep persons in jail without trial for periods of time longer than the maximum sentence they would have received if convicted.”
Having a prisoner live in inhumane conditions for longer than the law stipulated, Harris said was a punishment in itself.
“So you can imagine the anger within them especially if they are innocent. Therefore it is the duty of our Government to prepare them for life on the outside. At the very least, counselling must be offered so they can make a successful transition to freedom.” While many people have raised the question about the victims, Harris said the alleged perpetrator would have already served his punishment stipulated by the law. (SH)