By Halshane Burke
Member of the Joint Select Committee on the Bail Act, Fitz Jackson, says people detained on suspicion of criminal acts must be treated fairly.
A Joint Select Committee comprised of members from both Houses of Parliament is reviewing recommendations to amend the Bail Act.
Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte, who chairs the committee, said victims of crime do not always have a voice to defend themselves and judges must take this into account.
But Mr. Jackson said due consideration must be given to the presumption of innocence of detainees, regardless of the wording of the law.
"The law is one thing, what is fair and just is another thing. They are not quite the same all the time, so, while the thing may be correct to the 'T' of the law, it doesn't necessarily mean that fairness prevailed in the circumstances," he argued.
"I am not going into what the law is or isn't; I am concerned about at the end of that process or even during that process, that fairness and justness prevails," Mr. Jackson maintained.
