Barbados is set to enact sweeping new legislation that will criminalize gang membership outright, as the Caribbean nation ramps up its crackdown on organized criminal activity. The Criminal Gangs (Prevention and Control) Bill, introduced to the House of Assembly by Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams on Friday, sends an uncompromising warning to anyone linked to criminal gangs: prison time is guaranteed for violators of the new law.
“Jail, jail, jail is what awaits you if you belong to or associate with a gang,” Abrahams told legislators, emphasizing that the proposed legislation casts a broad net to capture not just core gang leaders, but anyone who actively affiliates with these criminal groups. “The government is dropping the hammer on gangs. The government is taking back control of Barbados.” Under the bill, even public displays of gang affiliation will count as admissible evidence in court. Abrahams specifically called out social media posts, noting that anyone who shares photos posing with gang signs on platforms like Instagram opens themselves up to criminal charges. “People now need to think twice about belonging to a gang. Very soon, belonging to a gang will be a stand-alone criminal offence in this country,” he added.
To avoid misapplication of the law, Abrahams clarified the carefully drafted definition of a gang that was refined through extensive negotiations during the bill’s drafting process. Under the legislation, a gang is defined as any formal or informal grouping of three or more people organized to carry out criminal activity. The attorney general stressed that the law does not target groups of ordinary friends gathering for social purposes, and the sole determining factor for classification is ongoing participation in criminal activity.
The bill sets out exceptionally strict mandatory minimum prison sentences to underscore the government’s zero-tolerance approach. Even basic gang membership or harboring a gang member carries a starting minimum sentence of 10 years behind bars, while more serious offenses draw penalties ranging from 15 to 35 years. Special provisions have been included to account for family relationships and maturity levels: parents, guardians and teachers acting in loco parentis will not be penalized for their natural relationships with minors who may be involved with gangs. While courts retain limited discretion to adjust mandatory minimum sentences for minors convicted under the law, that flexibility is heavily restricted, especially in cases involving the recruitment of children into gangs.
Recruiting a minor into a gang carries harsher penalties than recruiting an adult, with sentences ranging from 10 to 25 years in prison. If the recruitment takes place on school grounds, at a place of worship, or within 500 meters of either location, the mandatory penalty jumps to between 15 and 25 years. The only exception to these mandatory minimums applies when the recruiter is also a minor, Abrahams explained.
The legislation also expands the scope of evidence that can be used to prove gang affiliation, including self-admissions, assistance with gang activities, concealment of evidence, sharing of criminal proceeds, and public statements made on behalf of the gang. Anyone who hides weapons, disposes of evidence, or holds proceeds from gang crimes can also be prosecuted under the bill. Addressing widespread community concerns that residents of high-crime neighborhoods would be unfairly profiled as gang members based solely on their address, Abrahams confirmed the bill explicitly prohibits residence in a specific community from being used as evidence of gang membership. “We’re not targeting anybody based on where you live. We are targeting you based on what you do,” he said.
Additional offenses covered by the bill include counseling, financing, or otherwise supporting gang criminal activity, which carry penalties of up to 25 years. Abrahams addressed concerns from the legal community, clarifying that legitimate legal representation for clients will remain protected, but anyone who facilitates gang criminal activity under the guise of legal work will be prosecuted. The bill also criminalizes tipping off gang members about upcoming police investigations, with penalties ranging from 10 to 25 years in prison for obstruction of justice.
Retaliatory violence against witnesses, a common feature of gang-related conflict popularly referenced by the phrase “snitches get stitches,” is also targeted with harsh punishment. Anyone who retaliates against a cooperating witness faces between 15 and 30 years in prison. For law enforcement, the bill expands pre-charge detention powers, allowing police to hold suspects without a warrant for up to 72 hours, with extensions requiring judicial approval. It also introduces special protective measures for judges, magistrates, prosecutors, and jurors involved in gang prosecutions, who face elevated risks of retaliation. Threatening a judicial officer or juror carries the highest mandatory minimum sentence under the law, between 20 and 30 years imprisonment. Suspects charged under the bill will also be ineligible for bail in magistrate’s court, mirroring existing rules for firearms offenses, and must apply for bail directly to the High Court.
Responding to critics who argue the bill prioritizes punishment over rehabilitation, Abrahams countered that the government has already invested heavily in diversion programs to steer young people away from crime, pointing to existing initiatives including the Chapman Challenge, peacebuilding programs, microfinance trust loans, and skills training. He emphasized that the purpose of this legislation is not to replace those rehabilitation efforts, but to send a clear message that gang activity will not be tolerated. “This legislation is intended to protect our communities and restore public confidence in our ability to keep citizens safe,” Abrahams said.