THE JAILING OF POOR PEOPLE FOR VIOLATING THE CURFEW

Each day we read the press reports last week of person after person appearing before the courts because they violated the curfew. Inevitably these people come from poor neighbourhoods in New Providence.  This gives the impression that the weight of the law is being felt dispropionately on the poor.  The fines are disproportionate.  People have what appear to be legitimate excuses but these magistrates are acting crazily with the fines they are exacting on poor people. They are condemning them to jail at a time when they are imposing these huge fines on people who have no money to buy food. The Government  is clueless and though the Opposition has spoken about this, nothing seems to have changed.