Amid what appears to be a growing national concern that penalties for gun crimes are not tough enough, Community activist Dr. Venus Cherry has disclosed that he constantly questions the efficiency of Saint Lucia’s judicial system.
Reacting to the recent shooting death of 13-year-old Melchizedek Tixcy, Cherry told St. Lucia Times that the tragedy highlighted the proliferation of and easy access to illegal guns in this country.
Cherry questioned what the authorities were doing about the situation, including bail for illegal gun and ammunition possession.
“How do these guys get bail to back out on the streets right away? Automatic rifle? And they make bail for 15-20 thousand dollars? Do we not understand how much money is in drugs and guns? 20thousand dollars for these guys is like me having 100 dollars. It’s available to them, their friends, their family, their bosses will come and pay it!” Cherry asserted.
He said allowing offenders out on bail so easily is hurting the families of their victims.
According to him, the level of bail the court imposes is not enough of a deterrent to criminals.
“Some people say stiffer penalties are not going to help. But wait, if stiffer penalties is 20 years in prison for just guns and ammunition or just a gun, and more added on the ammunition. Don’t you think it would make a difference?” The Chairman of RISE Saint Lucia Inc. said.
RISE is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation formed in Saint Lucia in 2007 to assist in the healthy development of people, especially youth.
Cherry told St. Lucia Times that allowing criminals to return to the streets with minimal consequences shows a lack of respect for human life.
“Some of these guys committing these crimes are 15 to 21 years old. We give them 5 -10 years in prison, and they’re back on the street living their best lives when they’ve taken the life of someone who could have contributed meaningfully to this country. What we have in place is not enough. It is not enough,” the RISE Chairman lamented.
Cherry noted that a complete overhaul of the system would require the collective effort of all of Saint Lucia to achieve meaningful change and keep crime at bay.
Agree Cherry ….who’s bailing these people out!,, why is that not public knowledge STLT?….according to Countryman its 2 politicians right now doin The majority of bailing out for gunammo related weekly charges….. smph
Dr. Cherry, is stating the very obvious. Anyone, with even half a brain knows those gunmen should never, ever be released on bail. Their effects are destabilizing and detrimental to society.
1. They provide leadership and mentorship to budding criminals.
2. They destabilize their communities.
3. They return to their old activities while on bail.
4. Releasing gunmen on bail is a demotivating factor to the police that caught them at great risks.
5. The act of releasing gunmen has no deterrent value.
6. Deter informants because criminals can guess source of arrest information.
7. Restricts ability to make dents in the fight against crime.
8. Erodes other parts of the social structure.
9. Negatively impacts quality of life.
10. Culmination of added costs to consumers through security and protective measures.
* These are only sum of the negative impact.
The money trail always explains everything. If we find out who benefits from the weekly $10, 000 and $15, 000 posted for bail we would understand why these gun laws are so lenient. Law abiding citizens must sign forms to disclose their source of funds if they are depositing ten thousand dollars or more at any financial institution in this country. The workers there say it is done to prevent money laundering. A crime. But criminals or their friends can just take their dirty money and bring it to the court house for bail. No questions asked. Life real nice for the criminals in SLU.
Pseudo doctor
Very very very sad state of affairs in your 238 square miles…
@Poule Foo – you are 100 percent correct. What baffles me however – how in the world does the “powers that be” not see this in real time???? — mweee meeem
I have been singing this same song for yrs but I nothing will change until it hits home for those in government and just remember it will hit home so not a matter of if but when