The twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is moving forward with a landmark policy shift that will open up its existing Sex Offenders Registry to broad public access, a move designed to empower local residents with critical safety information. In a public announcement made Saturday, Prime Minister Gaston Browne confirmed that he has issued formal instructions to Sir Steadroy Benjamin, the country’s Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, to launch the administrative and legislative process required to remove existing access restrictions on the registry.
Established and brought into operation back in November 2022, the registry has so far operated under strict access controls. Under current rules, only pre-vetted individuals who meet specific eligibility criteria are permitted to view entries, and all requests must be submitted directly through the Office of the Commissioner of Police for approval. This system has barred the general public from freely accessing information about convicted sex offenders residing within the country’s borders.
Prime Minister Browne acknowledged that the policy change is not without its legal complexities. Critics and legal analysts have already raised concerns that publishing the full identities and official photographs of convicted offenders could violate constitutional protections around privacy and due process. Despite these valid concerns, Browne emphasized that the public’s fundamental right to community safety and information must take priority over individual privacy protections in this specific context.
If implemented as proposed, the reform will dramatically expand access to the registry, giving everyday residents the ability to independently identify individuals who have been convicted of sexual offenses in the country. At this early stage, however, government officials have not yet released a concrete timeline for when the public registry will launch, nor have they outlined the full scope of information that will be made available to the general public.