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Police pushing for “tagging” young offenders

- Governor volunteered to test electronic tagging device
Offenders will be confined to a 300 feet area when wearing the electronic tagging device. Photo: VINO
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – The electronic tagging of young offenders is getting closer to reality which will ease the population at Her Majesty’s Prison, revealed acting Commissioner of Police David Morris at the Road Town Anti-Crime Group meeting on May 1, 2012.

He notified business owners, who congregated at the St. Georges school, that the satellite tracking of offenders is being overseen by the Criminal Justice Advisory group and chaired by Governor Boyd McCleary, “will be acquired”.

Though he did not give a timeline, Virgin Islands News Online understands the initiative could begin by year-end.

According to Morris, the electronic tracking device will be placed on the young offenders' ankles, who are on bail waiting to go to court; offered bail and are on police bail.

“It would also help with the prison population, which is the third or fourth highest prison population in the world, against the country’s population. A lot of our people go to prison...and with the electronic tagging we can try to rehabilitate the young offenders,” Morris pointed out.

If they transgress, he added, the offenders will land in prison.

“There is a 300 feet boundary area and if anyone goes beyond that the green dots will turn red,” the acting COP further stated.

The “tagged” individual will be monitored from the Police Control Room, but Morris admitted that tackling such an initiative would cost money and manpower.

Interestingly, Governor McCleary was among several persons who volunteered to test the device for one week.

20 Responses to “Police pushing for “tagging” young offenders”

  • my view (03/05/2012, 09:39) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    at the rate they locking up man for cannabis, the prison must be full. who's money have to pay for it?? tax payers. it is a good thing they are introducing but the petty stuff like sending a man jail for a joint is ridiculous in many cases. lets focus on real criminals, not ppl who tear the label off the bed mattress or smoke a little marijuana for personal use.
  • Native Son (03/05/2012, 09:59) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Morris tying to tag our youths gosh that is what they us to do to the slaves back in the days, so we are going backwards ever
  • Virgin Girl (03/05/2012, 10:30) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    All I can do is hang my head low in shame, I cannot believe our Country has come to this where our youths will be tag like animals
    • Who To Blame? (03/05/2012, 11:07) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      The parents of these wondering youths are to blame. If parents actually ran and control their own household then we would not be in this mess.
    • Crank Shaft (03/05/2012, 11:38) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      You don't want them tagged like animals but we the hard working and law abiding citizens should be robbed and killed by them like animals? Which is worst? If you don't want to be tagged like a cow keep your a$$ out of trouble, it's simple. The parents are the ones that should be cuffed, caned and tagged for allowing their kids to raise themselves while they tune into reality shows, facebook and other gadgets on their phones and other devices, ignoring the damn kids.
      • qc (03/05/2012, 12:16) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        crank shaft dude hush you self tis slavey 101
        • Crank Shaft (03/05/2012, 14:03) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
          Yes qc it's slavery, because the black boys only robbing white people right? ! Let them come rob me though, the police won't have to worry bout tagging nothing.
      • A dog is a dog (03/05/2012, 13:31) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        Crank Chaft, I totally agree with you. These youths have a choice to do right, as so do the rest of us. They choose to spend their days coniving to break into our homes and steal what we worked hard for then they are lucky to not have an iron ball and chain about their ankle or a wooden stock holding them steady in the Road Town roundabout where we are provided with rotten produce to throw at them and humiliate them! Most of these kids once caught of their crime are being given community service and a curfew is all. I personally know two youngsters who have been caught several times with their fingerprints in a home they've broken into and still continue to stay out into the wee morning hours and commit more crimes. If the problem is that the prison cannot house them and/or they are too young to be in the system then I totally back the electronic monitoring of them. It has nothing to do with slavery or treating them as animals, it is doing the proper thing and monitoring the movement of young CRIMINALS who deserve to be locked up but cannot be due to the numbers of criminals vs the size of our prison!! The choice is theirs. I'm certain their parents told taught them to behave, pay attention in school and do the right things in life. I'm sure they all know criminals are dogs and will be locked up. Too bad, so sad!
    • Wow (03/05/2012, 22:46) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      They behave like animals, treat them like animals.
  • vinofan (03/05/2012, 12:29) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    They are not been tagged like animals, if they don't act like one then the youths would not have to worry about been tagged. Its not this is the first time we heard of tagging, it happens in the USA all the time. What we should be worrying about is our tax money paying for this to be implementing and if those that are tag would become smart enough to pry the ankle tag open.
    • Justice (03/05/2012, 19:42) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      It is happening right in the Caribbean - Trinidad and Bahamas are examples. So we can monitor their whereabouts.
  • persia (03/05/2012, 13:42) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    tag dem yes
  • Confucius (03/05/2012, 13:54) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Tagging youthful (non-violent) offenders is far more humane than sending them to prison! Likening tagging to slavery or comparing the tagging of young offenders to being treated like an animal is more than a little over the top. This is a viable solution to a very big problem. Our prison is full to overflowing and crime involving youthful offenders is growing at an alarming rate. Pretty soon, we will need two prisons. One for hardened criminals, rapists and murderers and one for everyone else! This makes a lot of sense to me. Why throw a 14 or 15 year old boy or girl in prison when they can be held under house arrest in their own homes? Yes it will cost us for the tags themselves and for the monitoring, but it is costing us much more to feed, cloth and house them as it is right now! This way, they have to feed themselves and their shelter is their own home. If they abuse this lesser punishment by trying to pry off the ankle bracelet, an alarm sounds at the station and they will be re-arrested and taken to prison. This should also put an end to all the meaningless slaps on the wrists our judiciary seem to like to hand out to first time offenders. This is a much healthier punishment for young people than being thrown in prison where they will spend their days associating with drug dealers, rapists, career thieves and murderers! This is an advancement in law enforcement and gives the kids a far better chance at rehabilitation. I do not believe that this punishment should be offered to any offender (regardless of age) who has been involved in any kind of violent crime resulting in serious injury or death. Nor should it apply to any offender found carrying a gun. Use your heads people! Where would you want your child to go if he is caught breaking and entering? Home with a tag on his ankle or prison. You choose!
    • high hope (03/05/2012, 14:46) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      dude your comment is too long as long blogs turns off the readers..lol
  • Jinx (03/05/2012, 15:36) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    The bloggers are so dumb. It is not slavery you idots do you know how many probation officers there are in the BVI?? THREE!!!!!! NOW DO THE MATH AS PER THE NUMBER OF PRISONERS. Unless government give the man power and the rehab center these youths need to be tagged to keep off the streets and out your homes!!!
  • vex me vex (03/05/2012, 20:12) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    so we should feel good because the governor is being tagged?? see they have we to be fools
  • overseas student (03/05/2012, 23:18) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Keep the tag talk in the uk
  • frog (04/05/2012, 10:09) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Tagging is for animals


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