Six Prisoners Challenge Denial of Parole in High Court  

Today, six Belizean prisoners appeared before the High Court to contest the parole board’s decision to deny them parole. The inmates, who were convicted of serious crimes such as manslaughter, murder, and kidnapping, argue that the board’s decision was unconstitutional, as it failed to follow the legal mandate to assess whether their release would pose a public safety risk. Leslie Mendez, their attorney, explained after the court session that the parole board did not properly address this key consideration.

 

Leslie Mendez, Attorney-at-law

“The parole did not make its decision according to the law and the considerations that they ought to have taken into account. So what we say and what the cases say, and in fact what the Caribbean Court of Justice has said, that when you’re determining whether or not to grant parole, the question is whether or not the prisoner continues to pose a threat to public safety. And in this case, we’re seeing that the parole board did not take that, or did not answer that question, really, when it decided to deny parole.”

 

Reporter

“All the prisoners would have because it’s parole, completed their time served, time allotted. And they have had good behavior and so in prison to warrant parole?”

 

Leslie Mendez

“Right. So again sentences in Belize and what the case is established, as I mentioned, are served in two parts. Basically, the first part is your non-parole period. And sometimes the judge sets that or the parole acts as that. But after you have served that non-parole period where you can absolutely not be released, you have to remain confined. The next part of the sentence is a security period where you remain confined. If you continue to pose a threat to public safety, it’s a very specific question that must be answered by the parole board in order to for them to determine whether to deny you parole.”