Parliament Convenes This Morning to Consider Minimum Sentences for Serious Crimes

Legislation aimed at setting minimum prison terms for serious firearm offences and sexual crimes against children is expected to go before Parliament when it meets at 9:30 this morning.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced the measure on Saturday, saying the government is seeking legal advice on how to establish a meaningful sentencing floor while preserving judicial discretion.

Browne has proposed a 15-year statutory minimum for the most serious sexual offences against children and defined serious firearm crimes. Life imprisonment would remain available for offences warranting a longer sentence.

The Prime Minister said the government has examined approaches used elsewhere in the Caribbean, including Jamaica, as it works to reduce the risk of a constitutional challenge. He argued that sentences for grave offences must reflect their seriousness and public concern about terms seen as disproportionately low.

Browne also cautioned that the reform would achieve little if litigation or sentencing practices quickly frustrated Parliament’s intention. He called for Parliament, the executive and the judiciary to move in “lockstep” while respecting their separate constitutional roles.