Dear Editor,
Since Guyanese seems to be waxing in the mode of national conversation on what to many are considered critical topics, my personal opinion is there is need for the urgent inclusion of the magistracy and its sentencing policy. Too often on reading the daily newspapers, some headlines literally scream out at you with their reports of harsh and unjustifiable sentences.
Editor, one does not have to possess a trained legal mind to be cognizant of the inconsistencies between different magistrates handling similar cases. In this 21st century a young male can be jailed, and often is, for possession of a joint of cannabis sativa; this is preposterous. I may stand to be corrected, but I believe there are mechanisms in place for community service. Rehabilitation in a supposedly poor country like Guyana should be a priority. For many years, there have been reports of overcrowding in our penal institutions, yet the pattern of sentencing continues unabated. What are we doing with our young people? For whatever minor crimes they are guilty of committing, the crime and disorder which flows from hopeless poverty, unloved children and drug abuse, cannot be solved by an inadequate prison system, mandatory minimum sentencing or recruiting more policemen.
This to my mind is a national conversation long overdue in this country, and needs to be addressed immediately. Save our young people from themselves. I close by reiterating what I wrote in your letters column a few years ago: the rich get richer and the poor go to jail.
Yours faithfully,
Lloyd Davidson
