The Editor, Sir:

Prison Fellowship Jamaica (PFJ) notes with interest the comments reportedly made by the head of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI), Bishop Herro Blair, which were published in The Gleaner on Wednesday, February 28, under the caption: 'Blair: Parole Act needs amendment'.

We agree with the bishop that the Parole Act needs to be amended. We believe that it is time that the Parole Board conducts direct interviews of applicants to ascertain eligibility (which is the practice in many other jurisdictions) rather than assessment relying only on the submission of documentary appraisals of third parties. The Parole Board should facilitate the applicant's attendance to his/her parole hearing, thereby helping the applicant to better appreciate the outcome. In the case of a denial, the applicant would be better able to handle the disappointment as well as, if possible, to identify the area(s) that need(s) to be addressed.

PFJ also concurs with Bishop Blair's rejection of the resumption of hanging; however, we are concerned with regards to his apparent strident position that convicted murderers should never be granted parole.

We are cognisant of the high levels of crime and violence in our country and the possible influence that this could have on the psyche of our people. However, as we search for solutions, we ought to be careful that we do not jeopardise some of the strides that have been made in the rehabilitation strategies. We should be careful not to generalise, but rather each case should be decided on its own merit.

Considerations

There are a number of considerations that attend the choice of the sentencing option selected by the courts. These would include: the nature of the crime, the circumstances that surround the committal of the crime, the age of the offender at the time of the committal of the offence in addition to the attendant reports and assessments.

The stance of Bishop Blair seemingly does not countenance any of the processes of rehabilitation nor does it embraces the current thrust of restorative justice being pursued by the Ministry of Justice. Outside of being able to provide empirical evidence to support his argument that parolees have contributed to the crime wave in the country, Bishop Blair's submissions are mere conjecture.

In our work with inmates, and ex-inmates, we have seen a number of men and women, some of whom were convicted for murder, transformed and returned to their respective communities and are making meaningful contributions to family, community and country; some of these persons benefited from conditional release (parole).

As an organisation that believes that no one is beyond redemption and is committed to rehabilitation, restoration and reintegration of offenders, Prison Fellowship Jamaica would invite the bishop to rethink his position.

I am, etc.,

MARK HARDY (Rev.)

Executive Director

Prison Fellowship Jamaica

12-14 Lockett Avenue

Kingston 4

Via Go-Jamaica