ATTORNEY General Adriel Brathwaite is concerned about the fact that there is a feeling in some parts of the country that “criminals” seem to have all the rights, while victims and their families appear to have none.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, during debate on the Police Amendment Act, Brathwaite said the feeling that “criminals” have greater rights, is one of the concerns in the criminal justice system that needs to be addressed by his Government.
“In fact, there is a feeling in some parts of the country that the criminals seem to have all the rights, and the victims’ family seem to have no rights. We are moving towards addressing that in a very meaningful way.
“Yes, we have a victim support network, but we are trying to get it to be even more aggressive, so that in fact that victims and their families feel now more than ever that the criminal justice system is not working against them,” he said.
Brathwaite said the move to ensure that the rights of all parties are respected by the criminal justice system, is important on many levels.
He said he is concerned about the number of persons on murder charges being granted bail.
The Attorney General noted that he accepts the constitutional right to freedom, but at the same time, he believes that the issue of granting bail to accused murderers is one that needs to be reviewed.
“My only mission here, my only responsibility here, as a law maker, is to carry out the wishes of the people of Barbados. That is an area that we need to address. Yes, I accept that several cases have taken too long, and we are moving to address that.
“I have spoken to the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) in terms of their case management issues, in terms of getting matters into court quicker, having matters reviewed by senior officers so that they are ready and able to proceed into court,” Brathwaite explained.
The Attorney General also addressed the issue of the prison being crowded with inmates who are on remand. He said he was made to understand that several of the inmates are willing to plead guilty in exchange for the opportunity to be a part of the negotiating process, regarding what kind of sentence they would receive.
“So that is a blot on our landscape as a country. That is a blot on our criminal justice system; the length of time that we have had persons on remand.
“For the record Sir, I am not proud of it, that notwithstanding, it is not a new thing in Barbados. It is something that Attorney Generals before me, at least those who actually worked, had as a challenge to address,” he said.
The Attorney General said while it has been agreed that additional resources will be placed in the courts, particularly in the form of judicial officers, there is a need for more criminal lawyers in the system.
“We now have many individuals coming to court, wanting to represent themselves, and that now takes even longer because the judges believe that it is their duty and responsibility to ensure that these individuals are protected as possible within the law.
“So a trial that may have taken three or four days if you had an attorney representing the individual, may now take twice or three times as long, because the individual does not know the law and they bend over backwards to ensure that their rights are not infringed and so on,” he said. (AH)