Column: White Should Not Have Been Released
[Column written by Sheelagh Cooper]
The release of John Malcolm White who continues to be a dangerous paedophile after 12 years of an 18 year sentence could have been avoided if prison rules had been taken into account. Prison rule 32[c]2 gives the commissioner the power to charge an inmate for not participating in a designated treatment program.
Such an” “offence ” provides for loss of remission which could take away the inmates “right ” to release unsupervised after two thirds of his sentence. In this case the parole board did not release John White, he walked out the prison door a free man with no parole oversight after completing just 12 years.
While we are strong supporters of restorative justice, refusal to engage in rehabilitative programs pretty much waves ones right to leniency.
We know from an abundance of research that paedophiles have no hope of returning to a normal life without long and highly specialized treatment and that just like addicts they are never totally cured but require ongoing therapeutic support well after release.
In this case, White showed no remorse and no engagement in treatment while incarcerated and most certainly will not be receiving any supervision now that there are no constraints on him what so ever.
Photo of White released by the Government:
The reluctance on the part of the AG and the Minister of Justice to make available to the general public the names and locations of such released offenders amounts to protecting them at the expense of our children.
Already all of the people charged with sexual offences have their identities protected [unlike any other category of offence, murder for example].
Additionally most continue to be protected from having their names published even after conviction if their victims are related to them. Indeed the only reason that we know John White’s name at all is that his victims were not related to him .
We fully understand and accept the argument that the publication of the perpetrators name after conviction could in certain circumstances lead to the identification of the victim. What we have suggested is that the question of publication be left to the victim or in the case of a child the victim’s family.
There are a number of serious sexual offenders on target to be release within the year and most have not participated in sex offender treatment .
There is still time to invoke section 32[c] 2 of the prison act and deem refusal to engage in the program as a violation of prison rules there-by removing earned remission and holding them until the full sentence is served.
Additionally, legislation needs to be amended to include mandatory parole even after two thirds or even full sentence completion for serious sexual offenders.
Many of these recommendations are contained in the Coalition,s 2016 Legislative And Policy Agenda which can be viewed on the coalition web site www.coalition.bm Alternatively you can request a hard copy at The Coalition by calling 295 1150.
- Sheelagh Cooper is chair of the Coalition for the Protection of Children
Empty the prisons to make the Government stats look better!
The piviledge of being White.
While I completely agree that he should not be released, do we know if he was even offered treatment? Was it offered and refused, in which case I completely agree with your argument. Or was there no treatment option made available to him? If so, then how can he be charged for that? I’d rather that sentences given were actually stuck to, why can’t people serve the time given?
There’s no cure for pedaphelia, etc. They’re the most at risk re-offenders
It was reported that this POS refused to participate first, then Lambe said it was too dangerous for him to do it, so we will likely never know. How his 25 yr sentence, which should have been 25×3 consecutive terms, was reduced to 18yrs by the infinitely wise appeals judges is sickening.
According to Commissioner Lambe, group therapy was too dangerous for him, especially due to the fact that he was a former police officer. So why not offer individual counselling? As far as I’m concerned, Commissioner Lambe is way too soft for his role and I’m tired of his ‘all they need is hugs’ mentality (literally-he really said that of the prisoners) and the way he thinks they’re all really good guys who’ve simply been given a bad break in life. He doesn’t seem to understand the concept of sociopaths, psychopaths and the like-or the fact that these guys play him by acting all remorseful, so that he can recommend an early release for them. It’s about time we got a warden with some backbone and a no-nonsense attitude who doesn’t go around hugging his prisoners, for crying out loud!!!
Listen, if he shouldn’t have been released then go and get him and put him back in. Someone should be made accountable for this madness and his early release. STOP THE FINGER POINTING NOW AND MAKE THE CHILDREN SAFE!!
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? “There is still time to invoke section 32[c] 2 of the prison act and deem refusal to engage in the program as a violation of prison rules there-by removing earned remission and holding them until the full sentence is served.”
If he refused to participate, section 32(c) should be invoked. Otherwise, the other option should be release only with castration!
Hope I don’t see him walking down the street……free sandwich on me
That would count as a hate crime and
mr baron will add you to his new list
The man did wrong and it affected people in many ways.
He did his time and was released.
That’s the system nothing to do with how we think.
Putting him back in prison as ‘Truth’ suggests is asinine and only for vengeance because they think he should have gotten life.
Guess what.
White did.
Now stop the bitching and moaning of 20,000 internet users with nothing to do.
Help solve the murders and the youth rapes and violence
Well let me tell you this. After the summer of 2017 the “AC” will be turned of.
Enjoy the heat then from the hate spewed daily.
Shalom.
Ps. Reality is a bitch.
Well the system is WRONG Terry and needs to be FIXED PERIOD! And if the politicians with their lip service can’t fix what’s broken then they need to get the HELL OUTTA THE WAY AND PUT SOMEONE IN THAT WILL. BE IT PLP, NLP or whoever!! We all know you were a cop Terry and it sounds like you have personal bias. You must have worked with him. He is a pedo…end of story…and this sh*t needs to be fixed!!!!
the justice system cannot be overruled at a policians whim.
don’t be so ridiculous.
I said it needs to be fixed by the politicians (plural) that were voted in by the people. Laws need to be changed. Who changes the laws? Politicians in Government. Not overuled by a single politician at their whim!
You think he is the first child rapist to get a ridiculously low sentence then have it reduced by appeal and get out early? The will is not there, we (collectively)don’t demand justice, our politricksters on both sides are more concerned with drug offenses where mandatory treatment, rehabilitation and so on ARE conditions of release and are mandatory while on parole also. I clearly remember the UBP ended parole for drug offenders, not murderers, not paedophiles, not rapists, they are no threat. I will never forget the news footage of Ze Sellassie being hugged and gingerly coaxed along by a cop in a ski mask when he was arrested for the murder of 14 yr old Rhianna Moore, he was not charged for statutory rape or killing an unborn child and had his sentence for pre-meditated murder slashed by the same appeals judges. The “justice” system is a disgrace providing big paychecks, cushy jobs, and fat pensions while working against those in whose name it was designed to protect.
Do you realize that pedophiles who have been incarcerated are the most dangerous types? Let me say first of all that I am NOT saying White will do this, but it is a proven fact that pedophiles who have been in prison are more likely to kill their victims the next time they offend. If the victim is dead, there’s no witness left, is there? Pedophiles who have been released, and especially those who haven’t received treatment, need to be watched like a hawk as they tend to do anything not to go back to prison…and I mean ANYTHING-even MURDER.
Wow!
If he refused treatment and is not remorseful then we need to invoke 32(c)2. If not, he should be castrated!
We need to PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!
I don’t know about you but he does look a bit creepy.
There is a quick “fix” for sex offenders-just sayin’.
They always seem to mollycoddle the worst of the worst, and as usual no one will be held to account.
AT WEST GATE IT IS NOT MANDATORY FOR AN INMATE TO DO ANYTHING IF YOU ARE ASKED IF YOU WANT TO WORK AND YOU SAY NO THEN ITS NO, THEY DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE ANY CLASSES OF ANY TYPE IF THEY DON’T WANT TOO IF THEY DO NOT WANT TO GO TO A- AA MEETINGS THEY DON’T HAVE TOO. I AM SORRY BUT NONE OF THE INMATES SHOULD HAVE A CHOICE THEY EITHER DO ALL THE CLASSES THAT ARE THERE OR EXTRA TIME ADDED ON TO YOUR TIME, WHILE MOST OF THEM ARE THERE DOING NOTHING, WHY ARE THEY NOT CUTTING TREES AND HEDGES, HELPING REPAVE THE ROADS CLEANING THE STREETS AND PUTTING THE TAXPAYERS MONEY TO USE. MR LAMBE AND ALL OF THE WORKERS AT WEST GATE NEED TO GET TOGETHER AND COME UP WITH SOME TYPE OF SOLUTION.
When he was sent to prison and the judge did not stipulate that he must partake in any rehab programs, he doesn’t need yea or nay from the parole board,it’s sad to say but he is a free man he done his time.
Just did some quick math and reckon it cost us $960,000 (12 x $80,0000.00) almost $1M to house this one guy. If he had opted to get “treatment” it would have been more! He cannot be cured that is a dream of some softies who think that there is an gentle way of dealing with everything and that kind of thinking leads to the granting of “rights” to people who should be considered to have forfeited their rights.
In my opinion.
It will be interesting how long it will take, to establish protocol to notify the public of sex offenders being released as they are within 6 months of release.
First sentence – “The release of John Malcolm White who continues to be a dangerous paedophile…” I am curious how Ms. Cooper knows this. Has she or her associates interviewed him? Have they seen his clinical records? Or is it merely their opinion? If the latter they should say so and not present opinions as fact as this only serves to muddle and prejudice a difficult situation even more.
That said, my hope is cooler heads than those over at the Coalition for Protection of Children will prevail and this will not continue to degenerate into a lynching.
It must also be remarked, if Mr. White was not white and a former cop, would his release have generated as much reaction? Unfortunately for Mr. White, rightly or wrongly, there is very little chance of him succeeding in leading a rehabilitated life as he is the perfect bully pulpit.
Research….Statistics!!!
All those helping services involving children, eg., big brother/Sister, Boys scouts, police community, PLEASE be viligilant and vet background/credentials of volunteers.
Mothers looking for male influence for sons without father figures, pay close attention to adults who want to befriend your child. PLEASE be viligilant and vet background/credentials of these individuals.
The courts and prison can’t do it all.
Maybe he was born this way…do you think we should legalise his form of debauchery..??
Maybe its a disease that he contracted…should we lock up people suffering from a disease..??
Maybe he is simply a care less criminally minded deviant…If so, is euthanasia out of the question??
What’s it gonna be folks??