Bahamasdepartmentofcorrectionalservices

Bahamas Department of Correction Services Commissioner Doan Cleare’s recent comments about the struggle to recruit qualified men may have unintentionally exposed a much bigger issue facing the country.

What if the problem is not that the country cannot find enough qualified men, but that more young men simply do not see the uniformed services as a desirable career?

For generations, joining the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Royal Bahamas Defence Force or the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services represented stability, respect and opportunity.

The uniforms carried prestige and it meant a steady paycheck, a pension, and a clear path to advancement.

Particularly those from the working-class families, these careers offered a route into the middle class.

Today, that appeal may be fading.

Commissioner Cleare revealed that despite a nationwide search, BDOCS officials could not find enough qualified men to meet recruitment targets. He said similar concerns have surfaced within other uniformed branches over the years.

What has changed could partly be economic.Many young Bahamians now compare government salaries against other opportunities in the trades and entrepreneurship. While uniformed service offers job security, some may view the starting pay and demanding working conditions as less attractive than they once were.

There is also the issue of image. Previous generations often viewed police officers, prison officers and defence force officers as symbols of authority. But today’s young people are growing up in a different environment, shaped by social media, changing attitudes toward authority and new meanings of success.

Some aspire to become business owners, influencers or entrepreneurs rather than public servants.

Education may also play a role. Commissioner Cleare suggested that many young men are failing to meet minimum academic requirements. If fewer males are graduating with the qualifications needed to enter uniformed services, the recruitment pool shrinks.

Yet the most striking detail he revealed was the abundance of women.

While officials struggled to find qualified male recruits, hundreds of women reportedly remained on waiting lists.

Perhaps women are increasingly embracing opportunities that men are not willing to embrace.

If so, the issue facing corrections may be a warning sign of a broader shift in Bahamian society—one where young women are moving into spaces where many of today’s young men refuse to go.

Can the country’s institutions adapt to that reality, or can they find a way to make uniformed service appealing to a new generation once again?

Laughter echoed through Salem Union Baptist Church even as tears flowed.

Family, friends and former colleagues gathered to say goodbye to Preston McKenzie, the retired prison officer whose sudden death last month shocked loved ones.

McKenzie died after his vehicle overturned into waters in Exuma, leaving behind a grieving family, lifelong friends and a legacy built on service, discipline and kindness at the Bahamas Department of Corrections.

Those who knew him mourned his passing and celebrated the life he lived.

His son-in-law, Deondre Stuart, smiled as he recalled one of their earliest encounters. “Are you decent?” McKenzie asked him, sizing him up as the young man dating his daughter.

The congregation erupted in laughter at the memory.

Despite his protective nature, Stuart said McKenzie quickly became a friend.

“He was a kind-hearted and genuine person,” Stuart said. “He liked to make jokes and laugh.”

One memory in particular stayed with him.

Noticing that McKenzie preferred wearing open-toed sandals, Stuart decided to surprise him with a brand-new pair of Jordan sneakers.

McKenzie promised he would wear them. Weeks later, the shoes remained exactly where Stuart had left them.

Stuart recounted another memory of McKenzie’s famous dance moves. “No one could practice to learn it,” Stuart joked.

For Emmanuel Jacques, a former colleague at BDOCS, McKenzie became his family.

The two met 33 years ago and developed a friendship that endured for decades. “He was my right hand,” Jacques said.

Whenever McKenzie arrived in Nassau from Exuma, Jacques was often there waiting for him.

Their bond became so close that McKenzie referred to him as his best friend.

“He knew everything,” Jacques recalled. “I called him the walking Guardian.”

McKenzie’s sister painted a picture of the man she knew long before he became an officer. She described him as “disciplined, meticulous and a perfectionist”.

As a young man, he often handled grocery shopping for the family and never missed an opportunity to bring home his favorite meal — turkey drumsticks.

Family members affectionately nicknamed him “Sheman” because of how well he cooked, cleaned and cared for others.

“He gave of himself without bitterness,” she said.

Commissioner Doan Cleare’s tribute captured his professional impact at BDOCS.

Cleare praised McKenzie’s dedication and the many lives he influenced.

In a lasting tribute, the commissioner announced plans to name the department’s drill square in his honor: The Preston McKenzie Drill Square.

Investigators have ruled the recent prison death of Mikhail Miller at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, as a homicide.

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe confirmed that the victim died from blunt force trauma.

The big story

The 29-year-old was a mental patient imprisoned at the correctional facility. His mother said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychosis due to the intake of contaminated drugs.

His mother, Rose Miller attempted to get him help for his mental sickness and sought the assistance of police to get him arrested.

She then got a warrant for his arrest producing evidence that he stole shoes from his brother which he was told by a judge to refund.

Since he did not make payments, Rose asked that Mikhail be placed before the courts.

What his sister said since the autopsy findings

Sherine Miller, a sister of the deceased said the family was horrified of the autopsy results and are waiting to find out  the details of his killing at the facility.

“Someone has to be held accountable for Mikhail’s death. We are appalled and words cannot describe what we feel…We were looking for help and this is what we got at the end of the day. A dead body that came back out to us and nobody wants to tell us what is happening and how did he arrive to the situation.”

The sister said the family still has questions surrounding the events that unfolded.

His mother added that it is difficult to understand what happened since “my son was not sick apart from the mental problems that he had.”

The sister said the family was retaining a lawyer to represent them.

Prison officers at the Bahamas Department of Corrections are calling on health officials to render COVID-19 testing for its officers and inmates after another correctional officer tested positive for the infectious disease.

In a statement, the officers said there is an upsurge of cases in the Maximum Security section of the prison.

The officers said Commissioner Charles Murphy has not been truthful in revealing the accurate number of infections at the facility.

“Enough is Enough…

“The commissioner [is] joking. The medical department [is] joking along with Sister Strachan and TCN/Principal Officer Mackey who are cherry-picking which officers should go on quarantine.

“The commissioner is in denial.  He failed to give a true report on the numbers of officers who have been sick with COVID since last year.”

One of its recent cases is a correctional officer who is reported to be in ICU a the Princess Margaret Hospital, connected to a ventilator.

“People’s lives are not a joke.  Please stop playing and test these officers who have been exposed and discontinue the practice of evaluating staff on paper and a phone call.

“Officers, staff and inmates were affected from day one,” officers said.

The big picture

The country is in the third wave of the virus and Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has called on everyone above the age of 18 to get vaccinated.

Vaccination centers have been opened to inoculate individuals willing to receive the jab.

To date, the country has recorded 12,889 COVID-19 cases; 11740 people have recovered while 812 cases remain active.

Commissioner of Corrections Charles Murphy defended the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services position after reports circulated social media regarding uproar at the facility by inmates claiming mistreatment.

In a press statement, Murphy said the claims of mistreatment are untrue.

“I categorically deny the claim that inmates are treated unfairly and inhumanely while incarcerated at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.”

Why it matters

Inmates at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services are heard in a voice note demanding the resignation of Murphy while accusing him of denying them pure water, food visitation and the ability to smoke.

Reports are that prison officers were also assaulted by inmates who doused them with urine and feces because their demands were not met.

What Commissioner Murphy Says

Murphy says inmates are allowed three meals daily. He added that inmates have been smoking cigarettes in a no-smoking zone which has irritated other inmates who are non-smokers.

“I wish to advise the general public that inmates are allowed three meals per day, daily exercise, and showers in accordance with the Human Rights Convention, standard minimum treatment of offenders, and the Correctional Service Act 2014.

“Further, the southern wing of the Maximum Security Housing Unit has just been recently renovated as part of our improvement project.

“This area is designated as a NO SMOKING ZONE to which all inmates placed in that housing unit are aware. It was brought to my attention that inmates are smoking in the unit which created a problem for inmates who do not smoke.

“Inmates were also found damaging the walls and cell doors in the newly renovated unit with the cigarettes. They have been warned to discontinue this practice many times to no avail.”

Murphy said, as a result, his administration had taken the position to discontinue the issuance of cigarettes to preserve the health and safety of all inmates and to protect the infrastructure within Maximum Security and the interest of the general public.