Samoa Considers Ban on Weekend Release of Inmates

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The Ministry of Prison and Correction Services (M.P.C.S) is contemplating a blanket ban on weekend parole.

This is part of a move by the government to curb the sharp rise in the crime rate involving prisoners who are allowed back into the community.

The decision was confirmed by the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Sagaga Galu Frost, who said this is part of a number of plans in the pipeline to keep Samoa safe from prisoners.

“A final decision has yet to be made but I can confirm that it is being considered very carefully,” he said.  “This parole is very rare. Only in Samoa where we allow prisoners on the weekend parole but if you look at other countries, prisoners there don’t have that privilege.

“There are some inmates who are using the opportunity wisely but others just seem like they don’t really care.”

Speaking to the Samoa Observer, Sagaga said the Ministry – as well as the Police – are concerned about the rising number of crimes being committed by prisoners who are granted weekend paroles. This includes rape cases, robberies and other heinous offenses that have been reported in the media.

In one case, a notorious prison escapee broke into a hotel in the middle of the night, robbed a couple and raped a female while her partner looked on. In other cases, prisoners have been linked to multiple thefts, robberies and the harassment of innocent citizens.

Asked why the parole is necessary, Sagaga said the idea was initially to reward good behavior for prisoners every two weeks– based on mutual trust.

But this trust has been abused and misused several times and now it is time to put a stop to it, he said.

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