Prime Minister Gaston Browne has formally asked the Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court to establish an independent committee to review sentencing for firearm and other serious violent offences, repeat offending and the operation of the wider criminal justice system in Antigua and Barbuda.

In a letter dated August 13, 2026, and addressed to Chief Justice, Her Ladyship the Honourable Madam Margaret Price Findlay, Browne described the issue as one of “grave and urgent national concern.”

The Prime Minister proposed the appointment of a three-member committee comprising suitably qualified and independent individuals. Its initial work would focus on Antigua and Barbuda, although its mandate could later be expanded to include the wider Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court jurisdiction.

Browne suggested that former Caribbean Court of Justice President, the Honourable Mr Justice Adrian Saunders, be invited to chair the committee, subject to his willingness.

The proposed committee would examine sentencing outcomes for firearm and other serious violent offences over a five-year period and assess them against existing legislation, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Sentencing Guidelines and relevant appellate decisions.

It would also examine guilty-plea discounts, aggravating and mitigating factors, offenders’ previous convictions, time spent on remand and the application of the totality principle.

The committee would be expected to identify any significant differences between the sentencing policy established by Parliament and actual sentencing outcomes, along with the legal, evidential or administrative reasons for those differences.

Its proposed mandate would extend beyond sentencing to include charging and prosecution practices, the availability of criminal histories and pre-sentence information, bail and remand procedures, prison release, supervision and rehabilitation.

The Prime Minister said security officials have advised that approximately 250 people with previous convictions were subsequently arrested and charged in connection with further serious offences.

He stressed that the figure should not be interpreted as a finding of guilt in any pending matter but said it represented a serious warning about repeat offending.

“It is, however, a powerful warning of a repeat-offending problem which the State must examine across the full criminal justice chain,” Browne wrote.

According to figures cited in the letter, Antigua and Barbuda’s homicide rate stood at approximately 2.4 per 100,000 people in 2019, rising to 10.8 in 2022, 10.7 in 2023 and 12.8 in 2024.

The Prime Minister also referred to a December 2025 regional report which estimated that firearms were used in 86 per cent of homicides across CARICOM member states and associate members during 2023 and 2024.

Browne noted that Parliament has enacted legislation allowing maximum custodial penalties of up to 15 years for certain firearm offences. He said the Government has also invested in policing, border protection, intelligence, prosecution capacity and rehabilitation.

He acknowledged that maximum sentences are not mandatory and that sentencing decisions must consider established guidelines, guilty pleas, mitigating and aggravating circumstances, previous convictions, remand time and appellate rulings.

However, he argued that concerns about sentencing should be subjected to rigorous and independent examination.

“Judicial independence does not require the elected Government to remain silent when sentencing outcomes give rise to grave public-safety concerns,” Browne stated.

At the same time, the Prime Minister said concerns involving judicial administration must be addressed through the institutions and procedures established by the Constitution and law.

“This proposal is therefore neither an apology for, nor a retreat from, the concerns I have expressed,” he wrote. “It is the firm and constitutionally proper means of converting those concerns into an authoritative review and practical action.”

Browne said he had consulted former Chief Justice Sir Dennis Byron and the Honourable Mr Justice Godfrey Smith, CARICOM’s High-Level Representative on Law and Criminal Justice. Both have reportedly indicated their willingness to assist the proposed committee.

The Prime Minister requested an initial response from the Chief Justice by August 20, with the committee’s membership and terms of reference to be finalised by August 31.

He proposed that the committee provide interim observations within 30 days of its appointment and submit a final report within 90 days.

“The people of Antigua and Barbuda are entitled to expect their elected Government, the Judiciary and law-enforcement agencies to meet this challenge with urgency, discipline and unity of purpose,” Browne said.