Sociologist Prof. Wright was commissioned to carry out the study in May, 2005 by then-Premier Alex Scott.

Announcing the need for the report at the time, Mr. Scott said: "I can only offer you a startling statistic to demonstrate the importance of this work. The 2000 Census revealed that 94 per cent of prisoners were male and 92 per cent were black. Clearly this is not because of a genetic predisposition to criminality. We need to find out what created this situation and what we can do about it."

The report took nine months to complete and cost the tax payer around $50,000. In August 2006, Premier Scott confirmed that the study had been completed.

"Today, that background data along with an ongoing review of the target group is providing us with the basis for diminishing the threat and the challenge that we are facing," Mr. Scott said in a televised speech.

But just two months later, in October 2006, Mr. Scott was ousted from office by Ewart Brown. Within a month of becoming Premier, Dr. Brown appointed political activist Rolfe Commissiong as a consultant charged with investigating race relations and the problems faced by young black males.

Outlining Mr. Commissiong's appointment, a spokesman at the time said: "He will conduct a full review of the Young Black Male Study, undertake in-depth research on the plight of young black males in Bermuda and provide recommendations with respect to implementing programmes and initiatives to address the current predicament of this targeted group".

However, the details of Prof. Wright's study were never made public and the report was eventually shelved by Government. In September 2007, Dr. Brown announced that the original study was incomplete and that Ivy League professor Ronald Mincy had been commissioned to carry out a more in-depth study. The new study is expected to take two years to complete and will cost the tax payer around $200,000.

But that move was condemned by Mr. Scott, who said: "We need it right now. We don't have the luxury of waiting for another report to be written, to digest it and act upon it. I think we should act yesterday.

"We want work on the ground with real people who want to do real things with young black males. I believe on one hand you can never have too much information but in this case you need a local solution for a local problem.

"If someone wants to plough on with it or take it further so be it. There is much work that could be done. I know people say it was incomplete but it was research ¿ you could write for two or three or four years and still not cover the whole subject.

"What we had was an on-island perspective and what I think has been proposed is someone coming from off island. I hope it doesn't become too intellectual and generic or something that really could be someone's thesis."

Yesterday, race consultant Mr. Commissiong declined to give his views on Prof. Wright's findings.

"I am not at liberty to talk about that right now and I don't know how you got a copy of the report ¿ it's not for public consumption," he told the Mid-Ocean News.

When it was pointed out that the report was paid for by public funds, Mr. Commissiong replied: "I'm not going to get involved in that. I will need to take advice before I comment further."

But UBP MP and former Senator Bob Richards said Government should have acted on Prof. Wright's findings before commissioning a second study.

Mr. Richards, who has read the study, argued that Prof. Wright had carried out his assignment effectively, had put forward practical recommendations ¿ and that the public had a right to know what those recommendations were.

And he accused Government of burying the study and commissioning a new one because it did not agree with its findings.

"It was a very well-written and researched report and I think Prof. Wright took his work very seriously," Mr. Richards said.

"The recommendations contained within it are solid but what is clear is that, those who are looking to blame somebody, or some sector for the position of some black males in Bermuda's society today ¿ well they didn't find it in this report. Perhaps Government didn't get the answers they were looking for in this study.

"But that's no reason to bury this study, which, let's remember, was financed by public money and should have been made available to the pubic. It has some very positive recommendations that can be acted upon now and can give us some direction. What's the point in shelving it and then spending a whole lot more money starting from scratch? Government is spending money like drunken sailors."