NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As the Ministry of National Security reviews the security protocols surrounding its prison inmate work program, Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe said yesterday that ten convicted murderers on the program have been temporarily stopped from participating for their safety.
This comes on the heels of an inmate on the program being shot and killed while working at a gas station.
The inmate was identified as Timothy Saunders, who was serving 18 years for his role in a triple shooting that left three people dead in July 2011.
According to the minister, Saunders was set to be released in 2024 and was approved for the program under the former administration along with 16 other inmates who were nearing the end of their sentence.
“As a result of the murder of Mr Saunders, having spoken to [acting] commissioner Fernander and [prison] commissioner Claire, it was determined to temporarily suspend the persons who are serving sentences for homicide from the scheme while we make checks with regard their safety being on the scheme,” he told Eyewitness News.
“There is no suggestion that the people on the scheme are committing offenses, but rather the murder of Mr Saunders showed that offenses could be committed against them.
“And since they work in public places, for their safety, they have been temporarily suspended while we assess their safety.”
Munroe said the government will consider placing the inmates approved for the program, who have been convicted of murder, to work in non-public environments for their safety, amid what he described as a cycle of revenge killings.
Former Minister of National Security Marvin Dames reportedly told The Nassau Guardian that the government should look into how the inmate who he said “just went up for murder” was allowed to participate in the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services’ (BDOCS) work scheme.
But Munroe said all of the inmates on the program were approved by the former minister on September 13, 2021 — four days before the general election.
He asserted that Dames was being disingenuous for political points.
The minister said the BDOCS board and other government entities have not advanced recommendations for additional inmates to be approved under the Davis administration.
He said for inmates, whose sentences are close to ending, it is important for them to get work experience and earnings, so that when they are released after serving a number of years they can reintegrate into society.
