{"id":21218,"date":"2015-04-23T21:39:31","date_gmt":"2015-04-23T21:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=21218"},"modified":"2015-04-24T11:52:33","modified_gmt":"2015-04-24T11:52:33","slug":"sen-sanes-calls-lack-of-ags-office-presence-for-committee-hearing-a-disgrace-and-insult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=21218","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Sanes Calls Lack Of AG’s Office Presence For Committee Hearing A “Disgrace And Insult”"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. THOMAS \u2013 The Senate Committee on Rules and the Judiciary considered two bills put forward by Sen. Sammuel Sanes in the later afternoon session \u2013 the first the so-called \u201cGood Samaritan Law\u201d and the second a measure to allow convicted murderers under the age of 18 to be eligible for parole after serving 15 years in prison.<\/p>\n

Sanes said the \u201cGood Samaritan\u201d Bill No. 31-0030 was needed because time is of the essence in a life and death situation and if an emergency care worker hesitates due to a concern about possible liability \u2013 lives will be lost. Referring to Bill No. 31-0083, he said it was not \u201ccontroversial,\u201d but was merely a way to update the V.I. Code to bring it in line with a federal mandate concerning people under the age of 18 who commit murder.<\/p>\n

Commissioner of Health designee Dr. Phyllis Wallace said her department supports the Good Samaritan bill, but would defer to the final ruling of Acting Attorney General Terri Griffiths when it comes to the legality of the legislation. Wallace said the department had concerns about how the bill would affect laypersons who respond to an emergency and also how it applies to fire and emergency personnel when they act after working hours.<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/a>

St. Croix Senator Sammuel Sanes<\/p><\/div>\n

Sen. Novelle Francis, Jr. said that he was \u201ca little concerned\u201d about Bill No. 31-0083 \u201cstrong-arming\u201d judges when it comes to dispensing justice in the territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cMurder, which is considered the most heinous crime is certainly malice aforethought,\u201d Francis said, adding he wanted to know what happens when someone under 18 commits more than one murder at the same time.<\/p>\n

Territorial Public Defender Attorney Samuel Joseph said if a minor commits more than one murder a judge should have the discretion to be able to consider that at sentencing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn sum, the proposed legislation essentially eliminates the possibility of a life sentence for juveniles convicted of murder while requiring a mandatory minimum period of incarceration of 15 years,\u201d Joseph said.<\/p>\n

Sanes, responding to Francis\u2019 concerns, said \u201cwe are not creating a new law, we are just updating the antiquated V.I. Code,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are following the supreme law of the land,\u201d Sanes said, adding that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that juveniles cannot automatically be sentenced to life without parole.<\/p>\n

Police Commissioner designee Delroy Richards Sr. said he could offer \u201csome support\u201d to the bill but worried that \u201cjuvenile offenders will view this as an incentive to commit violent offenses to include murder.\u201d Richards said he did support the Good Samaritan bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do, however, believe that an underage person who commits murder has a greater chance to be rehabilitated,\u201d Richards said. \u201cSuch an individual can, while imprisoned, earn a GED, learn a trade, etc. Hopefully, the recidivism rate will decrease when these persons rejoin the community with a different mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Sentencing Project in Washington, D.C., the Supreme Court ruling means that judges must consider \u201cthe unique circumstances of each juvenile offender\u201d at sentencing. The non-profit organization said that 2,500 people in America under the age of 18 had been sentenced to life without parole prior to the ruling.<\/p>\n

The Good Samaritan bill passed on a vote of 4-1 and will be sent to the full Senate body for further consideration, with Sens. Jean Forde, Novelle Francis Jr., Justin Harrigan Sr. and Janette Millin Young voting \u201cyes,\u201d Sen. Kenneth Gittens voted \u201cno\u201d and Sens. Neville James and Nereida Rivera-O\u2019Reilly were absent. Bill No. 31-0083 was voted to be held in committee by a vote of 5-2 with Forde, Francis, Harrigan, Millin Young and Gittens voting \u201cyes,\u201d while James and Rivera-O\u2019Reilly were absent.<\/p>\n

The Good Samaritan bill passed on a vote of 4-1, with Sens. Jean Forde, Novelle Francis Jr., Justin Harrigan Sr. and Janette Millin Young voting \u201cyes,\u201d Sen. Kenneth Gittens voted \u201cno\u201d and Sens. Neville James and Nereida Rivera-O\u2019Reilly were absent. Bill No. 31-0083 was voted to be held in committee by a vote of 5-2 with Forde, Francis, Harrigan, Millin Young and Gittens voting \u201cyes,\u201d while James and Rivera-O\u2019Reilly were absent.<\/p>\n

After the voting was completed, Sanes asked Gittens for permission to speak, and when he was given the floor began by saying \u201cI am extremely disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Referencing the fact that Gittens had commented during the discussion of the bills that the committee chair would have liked to have had comment from the V.I. Department of Justice on the bills, Sanes said the representative from the Attorney General\u2019s office should have stayed for the late afternoon meeting of the committee.<\/p>\n

But Gittens replied he had excused Darien L. Wheatley, the parole board coordinator for the Department of Justice, with the other testifiers who left after discussion of the first two bills considered in committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m extremely ticked off,\u201d Sanes said. \u201cIt\u2019s a disgrace and an insult to the people of the Virgin Islands.”<\/p>\n

But Sanes insisted that the office of the V.I. Attorney General was too important to not be represented to discuss bills that speak directly to crime and punishment. He said it \u201cdisrespects this body\u201d that a representative of the Attorney General\u2019s office did not stay \u201cand put in their two cents worth.\u201d And Gittens agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving no one here to discuss these bills is just inexcusable,\u201d Gittens said, and promptly adjourned the meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ST. THOMAS \u2013 The Senate Committee on Rules and the Judiciary considered two bills put forward by Sen. Sammuel Sanes in the later afternoon session \u2013 the first the so-called \u201cGood Samaritan Law\u201d and the second a measure to allow convicted murderers under the age of 18 to be eligible for parole after serving 15 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":237,"featured_media":17876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[228,11,854,191,147],"tags":[340],"yoast_head":"\nSen. Sanes Calls Lack Of AG's Office Presence For Committee Hearing A "Disgrace And Insult" - V.I. Consortium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bill -- ST. THOMAS \u2013 The Senate Committee on Rules and the Judiciary considered two bills put forward by Sen. 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