Jamaicans among over 80 inmates to be deported by Bahamas to ease prison overcrowding

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Jamaicans are among 85 inmates in the Bahamas who have been granted the prerogative of mercy by the government on the condition that they do not return to the country, as the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services struggles with overcrowding amid a rising number of undocumented immigrants facing criminal charges.

Speaking to The Tribune newspaper on Wednesday, Bahamas National Security Minister Wayne Munroe confirmed that 85 inmates were being processed for deportation.

The group included Haitian, Jamaican, and American nationals, with the majority being deported to Haiti. According to the Minister, the inmates had varying sentence lengths.

Some were serving time for immigration violations and had only a few months remaining, while others were nearing the end of sentences for drug offences.

He added that the influx of undocumented immigrants into the prison system has increased the population, forcing officials to make room for new arrivals.

The government is using the Prerogative of Mercy to release certain inmates early.

The Prerogative of Mercy is the constitutional power to reduce, suspend, or cancel a criminal sentence after conviction. It is an act of executive mercy, not a court decision, and in the Bahamas, it is exercised by the Governor-General, usually on the advice of the government.

Munroe said the process applies to inmates convicted of non-violent and non-sexual offences.

“With foreign nationals, we take a view that we’re going to deport you, and the condition is going to be that you don’t return to The Bahamas without the permission of the director of immigration,” he said. “If you do, you breach the terms of your release, and you have to serve the balance of the sentence. Then we deport you back to your home country.”

He described the Prerogative of Mercy as a tool to regulate the prison population and reduce the risk of legal challenges to detention conditions.

“So to keep the violent fellas in,” Munroe said, “you look at persons who may have another month, two months, three months to go on another sentence, and you release them early.”

Prison Commissioner Doan Cleare said the most recent occupancy stood at 1,801 inmates, with undocumented immigrants sent to prison through the courts contributing to overcrowding. The prison was constructed to hold 1,300 inmates.

He said there were no issues maintaining control within the facility, but overcrowding has caused discomfort among inmates sharing cells or dormitories. Between last year and this year, the prison received more than 200 undocumented immigrants. Cleare noted that it costs the government nearly US$17,000 a year to house one inmate, a figure that covers food only, not medical or dental care.

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