It’s been a year since local resident Sandra Catron turned in her petition to establish a publicly available sex offender registry in the Cayman Islands.
Ms Catron began circulating the petition in late 2008 and submitted the 1,100 signature document to the government’s Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs in early November 2010. Since then, she hasn’t been updated on the petition’s progress.
“I have not heard a word,” Ms Catron said last week.
Ms Catron said she believes the public registry could have helped prevent – or at least helped police apprehend – suspects like Jeffrey Barnes, 32, who was charged last week in connection with the indecent assault of a 17-year-old victim. Police have also said Barnes is suspected in the abduction and sexual assault of a woman in Red Bay last month, but he has not been charged in that incident.
Barnes was arrested at a George Town apartment on 1 November where police said he had apparently been staying with a female friend. Ms Catron admits a public sex offender registry wouldn’t necessarily track Barnes to that address, but she said the idea still has a lot of merit.
“I can’t help but wonder if it would have helped [police] catch him quicker,” Ms Catron said. “People who are not connected [in the community], they are the people who are at the greatest risk.”
Royal Cayman Islands Police Service Superintendent Marlon Bodden said police have previously supported the idea of a public sex offender registry, but establishing one is a government policy decision – not something police would do on their own.
Mr. Bodden said police do have detailed records on previous offenders, but the public doesn’t have access to such a registry.
“We are obligated in law to keep a registry for intelligence and information, so we have to do that,” Superintendent Bodden said.
In November 2010, chief officer of the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs, Franz Manderson, said Ms Catron’s petition would be taken to Cabinet members for review.
“The elected officials will then make a decision as to what happens with the petition,” Mr. Manderson said at the time.
The petition does not have enough signatures from registered voters to meet the constitutionally required threshold to trigger a public referendum on the matter. However, Ms Catron said she was pleased elected lawmakers were finally getting a chance to review suggestions about the registry.
“I think the intention was to just send a very clear message to the government of the day that there are people in the community who are very, very concerned about this issue,” she said back in November 2010.
Registry law proposed
Legislators reviewed proposed legislation to create a sex offender registry in early 2009 as proposed by then-Health Minister Anthony Eden.
Under that bill, which was put out for public comment but never approved by lawmakers, sex offenders would be required to register names, home addresses, workplace address and another other details of property they own in Cayman.
The public would not have had general access to the sex offender registry under the proposal. Only those agencies identified under the proposal, and any other approved authority could access the registry. Access can only be granted in the ‘interest of the due administration of justice.’
Sex offenders assigned to the proposed registry would have had to get their photographs and fingerprints taken, and were asked to provide a DNA sample to the agency maintaining the registry, under the previous proposal.
How long someone must stay on the sex offender registry would have depended on the length of a sentence following conviction, according to the draft proposal.
‘Difficult road’
Later that year, Attorney General Sam Bulgin said the sex offender registry bill as proposed faced a “difficult road” as it was written.
Mr. Bulgin said at the time he was concerned about simply cutting and pasting similar legislation from larger jurisdictions, such as the United States or the United Kingdom.
The attorney general said he had heard comments in certain quarters about “the utility of such a measure in a small country.”
“Is someone who lives in Bodden Town going to register with the police station in West Bay because they are going to spend the weekend there?” Mr. Bulgin said. “The question is whether it is workable.”
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What Did Happen to the Sex Offender Registry???
Ms Carton’s petition submission, in 2010, did not receive a Government reaction because it was below a certain threshold?
One rape alone should have been enough justification for a public registry.
What about Today, 2011?
There’ll be more than enough signatures to trigger this Threshold; whatever is required, by the Government, will be immediately met with considering the recent events.
As stated, previously, by Superintendent Marlon Bodden, the police supported the idea of a Public Sex Offender Registry.
Government, stand behind your Police Force, now; let them be able to work with the public as they know best in these matters.
Allow them to circulate pertinent information island wide.
At the very minimum, as suggested by Ms Kim (in a recent comment), display them publicly at the Police Stations and Women’s Centres.
Information and knowledge is power, and will hopefully prevent future tragedies!
Ms Catron, I apologize for misspelling your name.
I don’t think this island really wants a registry.
There are 70ish sex offenses committed every year on this island. (you just don’t hear about most of them) FOI it, to see what I am saying is true.
Now in just a 10 year span. That’s 700 offenses. There are only 50,000 people on this island.
That’s almost a 1 in 50 chance the person you are speaking with in that grocery store or wherever, is a sex offender. (this means there is someone with a sex offense basically living on everyone’s block)
Now that’s just in 10 years time.
in 20 years time it would be 1 in 25 are sex offenders.
in 30, it would be 1 in 12. (obviously the numbers are a bit askew, due to the fact there would be multiple sex offenses by the same persons) But there are a heck of a lot of sex offenses being committed every year for this size of population.
This island is too small to have this registry. Unless the registry is not open to the public. But the police already have that information. So what is the point of the registry then?
Because the next is a call for sex offenders to be relocated due to restrictions on where they may be, around kids. Which the island is much too small to do. Just because it works in the US doesn’t mean it will work here.
But I guess some people have to champion some cause, even if they haven’t given it any thought.
I support this registry 100%! We are not talking about just rapist like accused Mr. Barnes but our kids are assaulted and molested daily and nothing happens in those cases either. Since we are going to encourage population growth which will also mean a rise in these types of criminals why don’t we start with the registry now when it can be easily setup?
The police keep changing their perspective on ths. Not that long ago they were not in support of it and now they are? Sigh … policing in Cayman has taken a turn for the worse I think!
Anyway, let’s just get this done. Even if it only stops or catches 1 person it’s worth it to me!!
What happens if a juvenile gets on the sex offender listing, but reforms his ways. He was messing with an under aged girl, 15 years old, and he was 16 years old – not much difference in age, but it amounted to statutory rape. Now he can never get a job, because everyone knows his name. Society has scorned him and he is considered an outcast. Think of the psychological hate he will have for society and the notion he is a criminal and therefore must commit crimes. He has no care in the world, for his character is already blemished.
Yes, I believe with Sandra, there should be a sex offender registry, but names should be put on that registry if there is beyond shadow of a doubt that that person is a serial offender.
Society shouldn’t punish anyone with no path of reform and rehad. And certain punishments could make criminals into worse criminals.
For goodness’ sake, be careful.
We have seen what happens in much bigger communities than Cayman, when sex offenders (alleged or actual)are listed or outed by the press: persecution, criminal assaults etc.
In a small community, how much more so?
Not, you all understand, that in any way I condone any sexual offences or offenders.
Truthfinder:
Would you supply some facts about our kids are assaulted and molested daily and nothing happens in these cases either?
If you know of such cases, have you reported them to the Police?
The police register the offenders and get a home address. Is it verified? If so have the offenders register it every year, verify it, and if not up to true serve the rest of their sentence in jail. If the crime is against an underage child register for life. To claim a crime against a child should be over looked because the offender is also a minor assumes the victim’s trauma will be forgotten by them next week, next year, or sometime by them. I doubt that is provable by anyone.
Are not the police stations connected by computers? If not why not. I suggest it would only take a 2 minutes at best to have Bodden town station notify West Bay about anything. If the system in place can’t handle that it should be updated or replaced.
The posting of those still required to register should be posted in the police stations at the very least and wherever else deemed to be legal. The police are doing the best they can by collecting DNA and it is as proactive as they can get now. I urge Government to face the issue and do what is right.
I thank Sandra Catron for speaking up again and again on this important matter.
As Banana Rep mentioned, Registry or no Registry, I’d at least like to see the photos of these people posted in appropriate public places. (And why?)
Because many individuals whose sexual offenses have been deemed violent, predatory or grossly lewd are often returned to society UNREHABILITATED. So with these offenders roaming around in anonymity, many females live in more fear and certainly have less freedom to go about than men. (Fear is the opposite of freedom, isn’t it?)
This just isn’t fair. A Sex Offender Registry will help to bring more balance to an unbalanced situation in my opinion.