The Bahamas government says it is likely to re-examine the measures under which sex offender are publicly released from prison after one man died in hospital following an attack a few days after his release.
The authorities said Alden Scott was found unresponsive on a dirt road while bleeding through the nose, but it is not known if he was attacked or the origin of his injuries.
Scott was released last Friday after being added to the sex offender registry. He served nine years in prison for sexual assault and in January, was sentenced to two years in prison for caressing a girl’s thigh.
National Security Minister, Wayne Munroe, told reporters that an investigation has been launched into Scott’s death and warned that the public should refrain from practicing vigilante justice.
He hinted at the possibility of the authorities discontinuing public notification if it is found that Scott had been physically assaulted upon his release.
“If we find that it happened in circumstances that it was abundantly clear that you have vigilantes who will hunt and kill persons of which there is public notification…and we will have to see what other steps can be taken,” Munroe said.
He said the Bahamas government may have to change the approach to public notification of the release of sex offender, if the findings of the investigation show a particular outcome.
“For my preference, for people who are considered dangerous is to know where they are 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year and for them to know that we know where they are.
‘And so, we will have to be looking now this has happened into other steps we may take to protect the public and we are looking seriously at the laws they have in Canada about monitoring after release from sentences,” he added.
CMC/
