Widening access to Sex Offender Registry must be done based on evidence, says attorney

 

Defence attorney Chuck Cameron is urging the inclusion of empirical data from advocacy groups as the government considers expanding the scope of the Sex Offender Registry.

 

There has been renewed interest in the Sexual Offences Act, in particular the registry following the murder of nine-year-old Kelsey Ferrigon at her home in St. Catherine, last Friday.

 

Minister of National Security Dr. Horace Chang says Cabinet will shortly receive recommendations from the review of the Act by the legal department of the Ministry of Justice.

 

Speaking Wednesday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106, Mr. Cameron said based on the concerns raised, it is clear that the Sex Offender Registry is not meeting its objectives. But he said it is critical that any decision on widening the categories of people who can access the information is evidence-based.

 

"The fact is that things are happening. Victims are being taken by surprise, being set back to step one. So it is not necessarily achieving its desired outcome. So we have that information. What we want to do is be collecting that sort of empirical data because if it is - and this is where now you think about the rights of all individuals, even the sexual offender - if it is we're going to further restrict his rights in furtherance or in the interest of the public at large or persons who have suffered, this is the sort of empirical data we need to be in a position to present to the relevant advocates and voices," he suggested.

 

Mr. Cameron supports the call for the Sex Offender Registry to be made public, but with certain controls to prevent misuse, given Jamaica's culture of vigilante justice.

 

"One possibility is to continually widen the classes of persons who have access to this information or make more transparent mechanisms for persons to qualify to access this information. But we cannot go from where we are just to a free for all, because of the issue or the concern of the maturity of our society as a whole, or it really boils down to the maturity of each individual. We know what our history is and we cannot afford for the most extreme consequence to fall upon a sexual offender."

 

Mr. Cameron added that a public education campaign on responsible use of the information in the database will be critical. 

 

In the meantime, Executive Director of Eve for Life, Joy Crawford, said the victims of convicted sex offenders should be made aware when they are released from custody. 

 

Ms. Crawford said in her experience, this is not being practiced, resulting in victims relapsing in their treatment.

 

"I'm not so sure what is the mechanism that chooses to inform victims. I mean, I remember one particular situation a young lady who had really moved in her healing, was on the way from work when she saw the man stand up at a bar in her community, and immediately she made a call to us and she was pretty much set back at point one. Now, who is informing victims? Is it the Department of Correctional Services? Is it CISOCA? Is it some other arm in JCF? I don't know of us having that mechanism where we can honestly say that this is working for us and working for victims in Jamaica," she contended. 

 

She wants meaningful engagement of all interested parties in the review of the Sex Offender Registry. 

 

"Have a wholesome rollout of information, awareness building, support for psychosocial, support for victims, for perpetrators, rehabilitation. The issue of the fact that what I've read so far, people can, after they have done their time, their 10 years on the registry can apply to be removed. So there are a number of things that are there in place that when we start acting on these with the mindset that at the end of the day, the general purpose is to protect those who are more vulnerable," said Ms. Crawford.