Dear Editor,

The present hotly debated discussion now being carried on in Parliament regarding the minimum sentence for capital crimes committed by youth aged 14 to 17 has sparked varying degrees of sentences.

Some advocate a minimum of 20 years, others a minimum of 30 years with “a mandatory minimum of 15 years before being eligible for parole”. It is quite understandable that the outrageous killings would spark heated debates and the desire to remove from society all such criminals, inclusive of youth offenders.

What ought to be pertinent to the discussion, though, is the primary purpose of incarceration. Is it primarily punitive or rehabilitative? The sentencing cannot be totally divorced from the rationale for incarceration.

If the purpose is primarily punitive, then it’s reasonable to imagine a youth offender being schooled in prison by seasoned adult offenders to become more deeply entrenched in crime even after serving his sentence. If, on the other hand, imprisonment is primarily rehabilitative — which presumes a drastic paradigm shift in our penal system — then such youth offenders stand a chance of living socially productive and meaningful lives after they would have served their time.

This is a challenge to the present penal system.

Years ago I had the opportunity to visit Her Majesty’s Prison in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands where the emphasis is on rehabilitation. The atmosphere and attitudes encountered signalled hope not only for the prisoners but also for the society into which those reformed men would ultimately be reinstated.

Unfortunately, in our punitive-oriented society in Jamaica, the masses are not even open to giving a second chance to a misdirected youth who would have served his sentence and been rehabilitated. We in Jamaica who pride ourselves in being Bible-believing Christians should reflect seriously on Psalm 8:5-6, which reminds us of the true worth of the human person: “What is man that you are mindful of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels.” The human person, “made in the image of God”(Gen.1:36) is basically good, not bad.

Socialisation, from family to outside influences, helps to determine the outcome of each of us. Relationships matter and contribute to the shaping of our youth. Mischievously I ask the question: Who actually should be sentenced to prison?

Archbishop Donald J Reece

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica

don.j.reece@gmail.com