‘Hardened criminals to blame’

Article by Shawn Cumberbatch

Some “hardened criminals” in Barbados are recruiting young people to commit serious crimes, charged Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde.

The St Thomas Member of Parliament said the fact that Barbados’ laws dictated that people under 18 could not face the death penalty, made young boys and girls vulnerable to older individuals intent on committing crimes.

“There seems to be a hardened kind of criminal in Barbados nurturing these young boys and girls and destroying the good fabric of this society,” she told the House of Assembly on Tuesday during the debate on an amendment to the Offences Against The Person Act, which would remove the mandatory death penalty for those found guilty of murder.

“The legislation was passed and I felt that it should have given young people a new lease on life, those who are under 18 who committed murder, that they will not be hanged,” Forde added. (SC)

Subscribe now to our eNATION edition.

For the latest stories and breaking news updates download the Nationnews apps for iOS and Android.