Prime Minister Gaston Browne has defended plans to increase minimum sentences for serious crimes, including gun offences, as Antigua and Barbuda prepares to take the measures to Parliament next week. His comments, posted on social media Wednesday, came amid a protest by Jamaican lawyers against mandatory sentences under their country’s firearms law.
“We respect the human and constitutional rights of all and the independence of the judiciary,” Browne wrote. “However, the constitutional rights of criminals cannot take precedence over the safety of the citizenry.”
Browne accused the Caribbean judiciary of developing what he called a “lenient sentencing orthodoxy” that undermines public safety. He argued that short sentences allow repeat offenders to resume criminal activity and place further pressure on law enforcement.
“In a number of instances, criminals who are found with illegal firearms and ammunitions are given one or two years in prison, only to be released to commit other heinous crimes,” he wrote. Browne also alleged that some offenders who sexually abused children as young as two had received prison terms of two or three years. He did not identify specific cases in the post.
“Parliaments are now forced to curb this lenient sentencing orthodoxy that some are seeking to institutionalize, by legislating minimum sentencing,” Browne said. He described the region’s crime and violence as requiring drastic measures and said that, although lawyers and judges have important roles, parliament and the executive are ultimately responsible for public safety.
His response followed a silent demonstration outside Jamaica’s Supreme Court in Kingston on Wednesday. Defence attorneys dressed in black and carried placards calling for a review of the mandatory sentencing provisions in Jamaica’s Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022. One sign read, “Tough on guns: yes. Tough on children: no.”
Certain firearms offences under the Jamaican law carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years. The protesting lawyers say the provisions leave judges too little room to distinguish between offenders or account for the circumstances of individual cases.
King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie, who joined the protest, said the lawyers’ position should not be portrayed as opposition to combating gun crime. He called for a review of the legislation and said the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions shares concerns about it.
Jamaican Bar Association President Tenneshia Watkins also called for judges to retain the discretion to impose proportionate sentences. The Opposition People’s National Party has raised concerns about aspects of the law.
Jamaica’s Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has said a repeal of mandatory minimum sentences is unlikely, citing the security forces’ view that the law has helped reduce murders and shootings. The dispute comes as Antigua and Barbuda moves toward its own parliamentary debate over tougher minimum penalties.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: PM Browne Weighs In on Jamaican Lawyers’ Protest Ahead of Antigua Parliament Debate on Higher Minimum Sentences.