Yes, make sex offenders registry public

BOTH the Police Service and the Children’s Authority have expressed support for the proposed sex offenders registry being made public.
This was reported yesterday at the SSC meeting at which committee member Allyson West said during recent debate on the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, there was a significant issue about whether a sex offenders registry should be made public and the SSC was trying to find the right balance between the rights of the perpetrator and the rights of victims and potential victims.

Activists Hazel Brown and Diana Mahabir-Wyatt previously expressed concern about the registry being made public and the potential impact on offenders’ safety and issues of privacy respectively. Brown was part of 20 organisations that came together, because they were not consulted by the Attorney General, to call for consultations via a joint select committee which influenced the setting up of yesterday’s SSC.

Children’s Authority chairman Hanif Benjamin told the SSC that the authority has no objection with the publication of a registry for adult offenders.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Harold Phillip said the registry should be made public, “to ensure that we can have the benefit of the public protecting themselves having had the information about persons who are sex offenders.”

West said concerns have been raised that a public registry would expose former perpetrators to the “wrath of the public” and whether the police saw this as a real risk and are prepared to address it.
Phillip replied: “Certainly it appears to be one of the risks that would come to mind, when one is looking at safety and one would want to balance the general safety of the public.” He said however that the general safety of the public should outweigh privacy issues regarding sex offenders.

Asked what was needed for the implementation of the registry Phillip said a registry was previously being established so some of the logistical “homework” has already been done. Phillip said the TTPS will have to go back to 2000 to ensure people convicted of sexual offences are placed on an “e-register.” He added there was a need for training and IT equipment.
SSC member Gerald Ramdeen asked Acting Commissioner of Prisons Gerard Wilson if steps are taken to protect child sex offenders in prison from other inmates.

Wilson replied: “This is something that we have been dealing with for a long time...and even inmates have their own code of ethics. So any person coming in with those sexual offences, sometimes depending on how much is highlighted in the newspaper will (determine) whether that person is popular or not (in prison).” He said there is a particular facility where these offenders are sent and they remain there for a year or two “until everything calms down and then we bring them out.”

Wilson added: “So as soon as an article comes in the newspaper about any offence that is heinous or any offence dealing with children and rape even before they come into the system we find a suitable place to put them until all the drama calms itself.”

Editor's note: This story was previously published asTTPS, Children's Authority agree with public sex offenders registry. It has been updated.