by Linda Straker
- Grenada established Rehabilitation Board in May 2018
- Board meets monthly to consider all new applications or review those pending
- 120 applications approved, of which 120 are males and 9 are females
From June 2018 to December 2019, the Rehabilitation Offenders Board received 129 applications from persons requesting that their criminal records be expunged from the records of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF). Of the 120 applications approved, 120 were from males and 9 from females.
Dr Lawrence Joseph who is Chairman of the Board said that the members of the board meet monthly to consider all new applications or review those pending. The board receives an average of 7 applications per month.
Most of the applications are for petty crimes. Matters which are excluded from expunging are: murder; voluntary manslaughter; robbery with violence; arson and any indictable offence carrying a penalty including imprisonment for a term of 15 years or more of imprisonment. A sentence of imprisonment for life or for a term exceeding 5 years does not qualify to be expunged under the 2017 legislation.
In May 2018, Grenada announced the establishment of the Rehabilitation Board, in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders legislation which came into effect 1 November 2017.
The 5-member board which meets monthly falls under the Ministry of National Security also includes a representative from the Ministry of Social Development, the Police, the Youth and the Office of the Prime Minister. The board is appointed for a 3-year period.
The process for expunging requires the person to pay an application fee of EC$50 to the treasury then apply to the board for consideration to have the record expunged. All applicants will undergo a social enquiry report.
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For me this is personal. In 2016 my wife falsely accused me of stabbing her with a screw driver I was arrested and the case was dismissed. That was not the end, I couldn’t get a job, housing and the stigma followed me till this day.
I did not only suffer for her lies, I was also subjected to homeless and jobless because of the record. If a case is dismissed why should the accused without conviction suffer more by having that in his or her record. It is wrong and this is not justice.
Joyce, your reasoning is what has led to great difficulty in criminal justice reform. Just because someone commits an offense is not deserving of a life sentence. The difficulties in housing, jobs, and societal judgement are numerous. Once they have served their time and repaid their debt to victims they deserve to be free of persecution and stigma especially well after 5-10 years from the offense.
How do I sign up has petty weed case from 2014 which I completed my probation satisfactory
Hi my name is gene but my real name is eugene I live in Pennsylvania I would like to know how I get my expung in Pennsylvania yes I had made some mistakes in life but I have been out trouble so long I have a job it is a security officer I have been there 7 mouth now I would like to know you can help
Find a legal aid clinic near you or with a university. They may help for free. Also search on google how to expunge in your state
BAD IDEA . THEY DID THE CRIME ,THEY HAVE TO DO THE TIME. WHICH INCLUDES HAVING A FELONY CHARGE IN THEIR RECORDS. GIVE THEM 2 YEARS PROBATION IN THE GENERAL POPULATION AND WATCH THEIR ACTIONS. OVER 95% WILL REPEAT THE SAME CRIME OR WORSE AND WILL RETURN TO THE JAIL .
oyce, your reasoning is what has led to great difficulty in criminal justice reform. Just because someone commits an offense is not deserving of a life sentence. The difficulties in housing, jobs, and societal judgement are numerous. Once they have served their time and repaid their debt to victims they deserve to be free of persecution and stigma especially well after 5-10 years from the offense.
Yes some people will end up back in jail that’s why they have a required amount of time you must wait before being able to apply! It’s people with this mindframe that hold us back. The chances of becoming a better person and being of any use to our society is near impossible having a felony on your record. You are judged no matter what your attempting to do in life… It makes it near impossible to find a job or get housing, your limited no matter which way you turn. We are all human and we all make mistakes and yes some worse then others but we all deserve a second chance expecially if we have done the things that needed to be done and changed the things that led to our poor choices…