On Friday, the Mia Mottley administration tabled a far-reaching new anti-gang bill in Barbados’ House of Assembly, marking a decisive policy push to reverse a surge in gun-related violence and break up transnational criminal networks operating across the island nation.
Michael Lashley, Barbados’ Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice, formally introduced the Criminal Gangs (Prevention and Control) Bill to lawmakers, framing the new legislation as a direct response to an alarming uptick in gun violence and retaliatory violent offenses disproportionately involving young Barbadians.
Lashley outlined that the bill was crafted after extensive policy research, drawing on successful frameworks for similar anti-gang laws already implemented across fellow Caribbean nations Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and The Bahamas. The drafting process also included broad consultation with legal stakeholders, including the national Bar Association, practicing attorneys, and community members who have been directly impacted by gang-related crime. This outreach directly refutes claims that the government rushed the legislation forward without sufficient public and expert input, Lashley emphasized.
Prior to drafting, research conducted by the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit confirmed the urgent need for targeted anti-gang legislation, he told parliament. The unit’s on-the-ground research among inmates at Dodds Prison found clear evidence of embedded gang activity in the correctional system, with young male detainees and incarcerated people reporting they joined gangs at early ages, maintained close ties to active gang networks outside prison, or had directly participated in gang-linked criminal activity.
The new bill is also aligned with a broader regional commitment by Caribbean community leaders to coordinate cross-border action against organized gang activity, Lashley noted. Gangs operate seamlessly across Caribbean national boundaries, he explained, making a unified “One Caribbean” approach to combating transnational criminal networks a critical priority for Barbados and its neighbors.
Addressing widespread public and opposition concerns that the legislation could lead to unfair targeting of marginalized communities, Lashley stressed that the bill includes explicit safeguards to prevent discriminatory enforcement. Under the text of the proposed law, a person’s neighborhood of residence, family background, or regular social gathering spots cannot be used as sole evidence to prove gang association or involvement in gang-related criminal activity.
Lashley framed the proposed legislation as clear proof of the current administration’s unwavering commitment to upholding citizen security, public safety, and the rule of law in Barbados. “This government is serious about citizen security and public safety,” he said. “We are willing to confront gang networks and criminal networks in this country frontally, and we will not back away.”
He noted that the bill’s harsh proposed penalties are designed to act as a strong deterrent for all those involved in gang activity, targeting not only high-level gang leaders and active members, but also third parties who knowingly conceal gang-related criminal operations.
In response to calls from the opposition Democratic Labour Party to add provisions targeting unexplained wealth linked to gang activity, Lashley pointed to existing national proceeds of crime legislation that already covers this objective. A civil asset recovery fund, already established under current law, will enable prosecutors to pursue any illicit wealth generated by gang activity once a conviction is secured under the new anti-gang bill, if it is passed into law, he explained.
Additional key provisions of the bill include formal protections for jurors, judges, law enforcement officers, and other court personnel involved in prosecuting high-stakes gang-related cases.
Even as the government advances this new legislation, Lashley acknowledged that new laws alone cannot resolve Barbados’ ongoing challenges with violent crime. The anti-gang bill is only one component of the administration’s broader, multi-pronged criminal justice reform agenda, he explained, which already includes delivered reforms such as expanding the number of active criminal judges and prosecutors, amending the national Firearms Act, and updating the Bail Act to streamline violent crime prosecutions.
Lashley also disclosed that a full slate of additional crime-fighting bills is already drafted and ready for parliamentary debate in the coming months. These upcoming legislative proposals include a bill to establish specialized gun courts, new domestic terrorism legislation, and an updated Evidence Amendment Bill, he confirmed.
Alongside legislative and enforcement action, Lashley emphasized that long-term crime prevention programs targeting at-risk youth remain the central pillar of the government’s overall strategy. Gang leaders deliberately target vulnerable young populations, he explained: unemployed youth, young people from dysfunctional or at-risk households, teens struggling with substance abuse, and adolescents with limited access to quality education.
Data from pre-sentence reports in existing criminal cases consistently shows that warning signs of future violent offending emerge years before a person commits a serious offense, Lashley noted. Many high-risk offenders faced behavioral challenges at school, early drug involvement, and unstable home environments as early as ages 11 to 13, but lacked targeted early intervention to steer them away from criminal activity. He expressed confidence that the Ministry of Education Transformation and other national social agencies will continue expanding evidence-based early intervention programs to support vulnerable families and communities before young people become involved in crime.
Finally, Lashley called for a fully holistic approach to national crime policy that includes dedicated support for victims of violent crime and their families, a group that is often overlooked in policy discussions focused on offenders. “Sometimes we focus on the accused, and what measures we can put in place to help them and their family,” he said. “But we also have to look at the victim and the victim’s family. The anger that comes from losing a loved one can manifest in harmful ways, so we must center their needs in a holistic approach to crime prevention.”
Key provisions of the proposed Criminal Gangs (Prevention and Control) Bill include: creating new, specific criminal offenses for gang membership, leadership, and supporting activities that are currently not defined under Barbados law; stiff deterrent penalties for gang-related offending; the use of existing proceeds of crime laws and the established civil asset recovery fund to seize illicit gang-linked wealth; explicit anti-discrimination safeguards to prevent unfair community targeting; court-side protections for justice system personnel involved in gang cases; and expanded investigative powers for law enforcement to disrupt gang operations.