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Public Defender wants prisoners put to work |
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Sunday, 14 September 2008 |
KINGSTON – Public Defender Earl Witter wants people convicted of major crimes to be put to work, while in prison, so they can earn money to compensate their victims.
Witter made the suggestion while speaking at a United Nations-sponsored regional workshop on the media and the Caribbean justice system at the Hilton Hotel in Kingston earlier this week.
"That they should contribute to the welfare of their victims, who they have helped or caused to be victimised, there can be no question," said, Witter, whose office is charged with defending citizens whose constitutional rights have been breached by the state.
The public defender said that these inmates could be put to work in areas such as the penal system's farm-work programme.
According to Witter, the system would have to be brought into play by legislation, but said there were "some serious issues" that would first have to be addressed.
These include: the amount of money that should go towards the victims or their families, what percentage should be put aside to assist the convict on release from prison, and the amount of money that should go towards housing the inmate in prison.
Witter pointed to other jurisdictions such as England and Trinidad and Tobago where such a programme is in place.
"It would be a momentous development in our penal and legal system," he told The Jamaica Observer after his presentation.
CMC/vd/2008
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