Major drop in juveniles involved in crime, DPP reports
The number of reported criminal cases involving minors in the British Virgin Islands has dropped significantly, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Kim Hollis has said.
Hollis gave that report to the 2019 Standing Finance Committee (SFC) when she appeared before them back in April.
She said: “The total number of juveniles involved in crimes was 35 in 2016, 32 in 2017, and nine in 2018.”
Hollis, whose statements were recorded in the 2019 SFC report published this month, indicated that her office “was of the view that the decrease in juvenile crime in 2018 was partly accountable as a result of the number of young persons that left the territory following the hurricanes in 2017”.
Should police log student delinquency?
During her presentation, SFC member and Education Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley pointed to the number of student “disturbances” at the Elmore Stoutt High School.
He argued that the Commissioner of Police advised him that they allowed the schools to handle the disturbances rather than logging them to avoid criminalizing the youngsters. However, Dr Wheatley inquired from Hollis whether she endorsed that approach.
In response, the DPP said the “disturbances” should be logged but just for the record-keeping purposes to see whether those juvenile delinquents would become repeat offenders.
She noted that her office did not have the ability to caution first-time offenders but would support having legislation as far as juvenile offenders were concerned.
Govt’s Restorative Justice Programme largely a success
In 2017, then minister responsible for youth and prison Myron Walwyn had reported that the number of minors who re-offend after particpating in government’s Restorative Justice Programme was low.
He said at the time that of the 14 juveniles who were kept out of Her Majesty’s Prison and enrolled in the programme, only two re-offended.
The 2013 initiative was launched to provide an alternative to prison to rehabilitate young offenders and at-risk minors.
In recent times, police made several juvenile arrests for burglary, assaulting a police officer, reckless and negligent act, driving when not covered by third-party risks, and driving without a driver’s license, among other offences.
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I guess the kids racing in the streets without helmets swerving through traffic And going through stop lights is not considered a crime. What is the point of having a driving test and it department of motor vehicles when this kind of behavior is practice by almost everyone on a scooter
STRUPE COMMENT ALERT
A REDUCTION DOES NOT EQUAL NO CRIME. THEY FOCUS ON MAJOR CRIMES FIRST NOT HELMETS STRUPE
PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE ALWAYS DRAGGING DOWN GOOD NEWS BECAUSE YOUR LIFE IS STRUPE- PITIFUL
GROW UP AND HE HAPPY FOR THE GOOD NEWS. YOU YOURSELF DO NOTHING BUT COMPLAIN
SHE WANTS TO TAKE CREDIT FOR THIS?
This is good news. Regardless of the reasons why there is a drop, we should all be grateful that there is a drop in youth crime. Youth crime does no one any good, least of all the youngsters themselves who fall afoul of the law.
I agree that disturbances should be recorded for record-keeping purposes, not for prosecution purposes.
I also recommend that the program which was started by the previous Minister for Education, the Restorative Justice Program, which I am hearing about for the first time, be continued. If it works, keep it going, with improvements if need be; but don’t trash it because it was under a former government minister.
Lastly, as someone who has the best interest of young people at heart, there is a lot that needs to be done to foster positive youth development, not just to mitigate crimes, but to assist them in all areas of positive development: life skills, trades, creative arts, intellectual development, capacity building, confidence and self-esteem, motivation, etc.
Let’s all do what we can to make things better, and not just for excuses. Am sure with this focus, we can help to change the current scooter-culture. Nothing is impossible with God.
Thank you for this supportive and non-strupe comment. Well reasoned and accurate.
Crime down because it’s not being reported to the RVIPF, this was on **** a while ago. What’s with the late news?
These news wesites and newspapers is no match for the yellow website mehson… W***++k tell beacon somebody in Guyana eating they dinner… Yellow articles is the highest quality journalism in the BVI
The youth dem blazed out on the Cookies and Gelato.Bliss
So often statistics seemingly improve when the criteria for reporting change. So is this
A) real improvement,
B) failure to enforce laws, or
C) change to reporting criteria?
Answer that and then I will react to this report.
STRUPE COMMENT
YOU ARE CASTONG ALLEGATIONS ABOUT GOOD NEWS ANDSOMETHING HAVE NO PROOF OR REASON TO DO SO
STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP DRAGGING DOWN THE BVI WITH YOUR NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT SOMETHING GOOD FOR NO REASON STRUPE
BECOME A GROWN PERSON
The serial murderers all in jail.