Guest Columns

‘The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.’ — John Philpot Curran (1790). As a nation, we are sliding into a place of great sadness. The economy’s growth engines are shutting down, and there is a collapse of law and order. Daily, it becomes more …

Crime and the lack of personal security have featured in calypso through the years.  For example Caruso’s ‘Gun Slingers’ (1959) celebrates ‘beating them [criminals] with the cat’ while Sparrow’s ‘Royal Jail’ (1961) is about revenge as captured in the line ‘licks for them criminals’. If calypso is the people’s commentator, …

Distressingly amid the national uproar over our women’s ill-treatment and murders, we gravitate to accepting a ‘macho’ solution that wreaks violence upon those who threaten us.  We should reflect on how likely this path would take us to our desired goal of safety for all, particularly our women. Will we …

A young woman wrote this to me after my last column: ‘I’ve been thinking about this death penalty debate. I don’t know where I stand…’  It recalled for me a time when I too, did not know where to stand and how that changed. I easily remember traumatic episodes from …

“[…] We subscribe to a criminal justice system which is fair though not infallible. What the abolitionists must bear in mind is that if a man is really innocent, it is better that he be executed than be incarcerated for life; for that man—knowing he is innocent—would live a life …

The tragic circumstances surrounding Andrea Bharatt’s abduction and murder have shone a light on our society’s sensibilities toward a number of issues. And whilst our attitudes toward the value of women, the pursuit of justice, crime and punishment and scepticism of authority are by no means monolithic, the discourse surrounding …

Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, in his trademark rhetoric, responded to concerns expressed by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Senator David Nakhid about the deaths of Andrew ‘Solo’ Morris and Joel Belcon while in police custody with personal attacks today, via a Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) release. Griffith …

The Trinidad and Tobago police service (TTPS) today issued a statement that they would be investigating the deaths of two suspects, Andrew Morris and Joel Belcon, while in police custody. The two men were held in connection with the kidnapping and death of 23-year-old Andrea Bharatt, whose body was found …

One group: burning tyres, pieces of wood, cardboard—debris really—in protest against the conditions of roads that are impassable or collapsing; or the absence of water via taps or trucks; or maybe it’s a bridge gone, cutting them off; or a fallen tree yet to be cleared; or a downed electricity …

‘Poor children are victims of circumstance/ In life they never really get a chance/Or have opportunities as privileged children do/ The road from the poor suburb to prison leads them/ From broken homes they are condemned to fail/ Their abusive and drug-addicted parents serving time in jail/ Their parents too …

February 21 will mark nine days after the burial of Andrea Bharatt, and it is likely that the marching, candlelight vigils and accusations of ‘shedding crocodile tears’ will no longer be at the forefront of our minds. We will retreat to the burglar-proofed boxes we call homes and cautiously peer …

Change is needed. Whether they are the right changes, fast changes or far enough changes, will always be a matter for debate.  However, what is certain is that the criminal justice system needs reform. And while it may be convenient to ascribe blame on one component of this integral system, …