Gittens Thanks Colleagues For Passage Of Bill Defining Moral Turpitude

ST. CROIX — Outgoing Senator Kenneth Gittens, chairman of the Committee on Rules and Judiciary on Wednesday, thanked his colleagues for their support of the bill that he co-sponsored with Senator Marvin Blyden, that now provides a definition of Moral Turpitude in the Virgin Islands Code.

“We have been struggling with this issue for years, we’ve been in positions where not even our courts have been able to give distinct rulings because we had no definition of moral turpitude for reference. We have worked hard to craft a definition that would be suited and I thank everyone for their support,” Mr. Gittens said.

As outlined by the legislation, “Moral Turpitude” is defined as any violation of the law that is contrary to honest, justice or good morals such as, a violation of law involving dishonesty, fraud, willful failure to file income taxes, perjury, forgery, murder, sexual offenses, intentionally causing serious injury to another, child-abuse, spousal abuse and the sale of illegal drugs.

Mr. Gittens said to develop a clear definition of the term “moral turpitude” as a part of the local laws is something that has been necessary for a long time. He said it now changes the dimensions of the code relative to qualifications and makes it clear.

“We’ve seen issues surrounding this matter causing separation in our community on every level. Now that we have an actual definition for moral turpitude, it addresses the vagueness in the law and allows us to hold individuals responsible for their action,” he said.

The bill was approved by the full body during Legislative Session on December 21st , with a vote of 11 in support, three against and one absent. The bill will not affect past court decisions relating to incoming Senator Alicia Hansen, Mr. Gittens told The Consortium late Tuesday. It will now be forwarded to Governor Kenneth Mapp for his signature before it becomes law.