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Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has launched a public call for a comprehensive revision of the country’s criminal sentencing guidelines, arguing that current sentence reduction schemes for guilty pleas and inmate good behavior have created a system where people convicted of the most severe crimes walk free after serving unacceptably short prison terms.

Speaking during a segment on the *Browne and Browne Show*, Browne outlined that his urgent concerns are centered on three high-impact categories of criminal activity: firearms-related offenses, sexual violence against minors, and repeated offenses by habitual criminals. Under current rules, offenders who enter a guilty plea can receive a sentence reduction of up to one-third off their original term. While Browne acknowledged that this incentive may serve a practical purpose in lower-stakes cases, he stressed that it should never be applied automatically to the most serious crimes threatening public safety.

“To be given 33 and a third percent [reduction] right off the bat, that is an issue that needs to be addressed,” Browne said during the interview.

Beyond plea-related reductions, the prime minister also pushed back against the existing policy that grants additional sentence cuts for good behavior during incarceration. When combined, the two reductions can shrink a six-year original sentence to a fraction of its original length, leaving dangerous offenders back in communities far earlier than intended. Browne argued that this combination directly fuels cycles of repeat offending, as persistent criminals are released back onto public streets before they can complete meaningful rehabilitation.

To fix the flaws in the current system, Browne put forward two key policy adjustments. First, he proposed restructuring plea incentives to actively discourage not-guilty pleas in cases where evidence against the defendant is overwhelming, avoiding wasted time and resources in overburdened court systems. “What you should do is that you disincentivise a not-guilty plea,” he explained.

Second, Browne called for a shift in how inmate misconduct is handled: rather than automatically granting sentence reductions to prisoners who avoid breaking institutional rules, corrections systems should instead add additional time to the sentences of inmates who commit offenses like fighting while in custody. This change, he argued, would create a more balanced system that penalizes misbehavior rather than just rewarding compliance with automatic reductions.

Browne emphasized that the current framework is failing both the public and the criminal justice system, stating, “Those sentencing rules, in my view, they should be revised. They’re not working.” He added that any updated set of guidelines must align with the original legislative intent of Parliament and match growing public demand for tougher, more appropriate penalties for individuals convicted of serious violent offenses.

In a targeted push to curb violent crime and illegal gun activity across Antigua and Barbuda, national authorities have ordered law enforcement to ramp up crackdowns on motor vehicles with excessively dark window tinting. The new enforcement directive was announced by Prime Minister Gaston Browne during an appearance on the local Browne and Browne Show, where he outlined clear parameters for the new rule: any window tinting that blocks police from clearly viewing vehicle occupants and activity inside must be removed immediately.

“Criminal actors are using heavily tinted vehicles to hide their illegal activities, and we have formally instructed police to force the removal of these tints,” Browne stated in his remarks. “We need unobstructed visibility into every vehicle on our roads to keep communities safe.”

The new policy comes directly out of a recent high-level meeting of the country’s National Security Council, where top officials gathered to assess evolving crime patterns, the spread of unregistered illegal firearms across the nation, and the operational effectiveness of Antigua and Barbuda’s law enforcement institutions. Beyond the tinting mandate, the prime minister also called for a dramatic expansion of routine stop-and-search operations, issuing a recommendation that these proactive public safety checks be held at minimum twice per week across the country.

To support law enforcement in carrying out these expanded security measures, the prime minister confirmed that the national government plans to invest in boosting the police force’s operational capabilities. This upgrade will include allocating additional patrol vehicles, surveillance drones, and other critical resources to frontline officers, giving them the tools they need to enforce new security rules effectively. At the time of his announcement, Browne declined to share further details about additional strategies developed during the National Security Council meeting, noting that sensitive operational details cannot be disclosed publicly to avoid undermining ongoing law enforcement work.

In a recent public address on the *Browne and Browne Show*, Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda has formally announced that no further effort will be made in his administration’s current sitting to replace the UK-based Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as the nation’s highest appellate court.

While Browne has reaffirmed his long-held backing for an eventual shift to the regional judiciary, he emphasized that widespread public apprehension around the transition makes the current political moment unfit for moving forward. “There’s no way this term that we would even try to make that transition because we’re not at that level of maturity,” the prime minister stated.

This is not the first time the country has considered the change. A previous referendum on the proposed transition was held under Browne’s government, which he openly supported. Now, however, he says he respects the public’s hesitation, noting that widespread concerns about the local judiciary’s maturity have fostered considerable unease across the country.

Many Antigua and Barbudans, Browne explained, hold the view that the geographic distance and institutional detachment of the London-based Privy Council act as a critical safeguard against potential political or regional interference in appellate rulings. “They feel that the anonymity that they get out of the United Kingdom, the Privy Council, protects them, and I can’t fault them,” he said.

Crucially, the prime minister stressed that his decision to pause the transition does not mean abandoning his commitment to the CCJ. “I’m not arguing against the transition, and I will continue to support that transition,” he clarified. “But I have to accept that we are probably not at the level of maturity to make that transition as yet.”

Browne pointed to specific public grievances that have eroded confidence in the domestic and regional judiciary: notably, perceptions of overly lenient sentencing for serious crimes and widespread dissatisfaction with how high-profile criminal cases are managed. He called on judicial leaders to open constructive dialogue with both the government and the general public to address these persistent concerns around criminal justice outcomes, laying the groundwork for greater public trust that could enable a future transition.

In a push to enact harsher punishment for serial offenders, the government of Antigua and Barbuda has unveiled plans to introduce mandatory minimum prison sentences for the most serious firearm and sexual offenses, alongside adjustments to maximum sentencing thresholds for multiple crimes. Speaking during the locally broadcast Browne and Browne Show, Prime Minister Gaston Browne confirmed that the legislative package will be tabled for parliamentary debate in the near term, confirming the dual proposed changes of raised maximum sentences and new mandatory minimum penalties.

Under the draft framework, the mandatory minimum sentences will target two high-priority crime categories: gun-related offenses and sexual violence, with particular focus on offenses committed against minors. Browne emphasized that judicial discretion will not be eliminated entirely; judges will retain the ability to issue sentences below the mandated minimum in cases with significant extenuating circumstances, but they will be required to provide a formal, public written justification for any deviation from the established minimum.

At this stage of policy development, the exact numerical value of the minimum sentences has not been finalized, as government officials have not yet completed cross-stakeholder consultations on the proposals. Browne offered an illustrative example to contextualize the government’s direction, noting that the rape of a child could ultimately carry a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence, but stressed that this figure remains preliminary and subject to change following consultation.

Browne clarified that the reforms are intentionally targeted, designed to crack down on repeat offenders who commit serious violent and sexual crimes, rather than penalizing first-time offenders whose offenses may be out of character and inconsistent with their life history. For years, Browne has publicly criticized what he describes as consistently lenient sentencing for gun and sexual offenses, arguing that overly short custodial sentences release persistent offenders back into communities far too quickly, while also weakening the effectiveness of national rehabilitation programs designed to reduce reoffending. In addition to the legislative changes, the Prime Minister has issued a formal call for the national judiciary to conduct a comprehensive review of existing internal sentencing guidelines, to ensure that the guidelines align with the severe public harm caused by violent and sexual offenses.