The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) will launch its sentencing guidelines on September 17 in Antigua and Barbuda.

The sentencing guidelines will inform the approach to be taken by judges and magistrates sitting in the Criminal Division in determining a sentence.

The ECSC Sentencing Advisory Committee (SAC) is jointly chaired by The Honourable Justice Gertel Thom, Justice of Appeal and The Honourable Justice Iain Morely, QC, High Court Judge under the direction of Her Ladyship, the Honourable Dame Janice M. Pereira, DBE, LLD, Chief Justice.

Her Ladyship, the Honourable Dame Janice M. Pereira, DBE, LLD, Chief Justice said, “the intention of the sentencing guidelines is to achieve a more uniformed approach to sentencing practice, greater consistency in sentencing, transparency and in turn, greater public confidence in the administration of criminal justice.”

In preparation for the launch of the guidelines, a one day training seminar was held on July 29 to secure feedback of legal practitioners, litigants, social workers, mediators, probation officers, the police, correctional services officers and members of the public in the OECS.  The seminar was conducted by Honourable Justice Iain Morely, QC.

The launch will be broadcast upstairs in the Criminal High Court and will not take the form of a special sitting therefore, the Bench and the Bar are not required to be robed. Invited guests are asked to be seated by 9:45 a.m.

Her Ladyship added, “I am inviting all attorneys to be a part of this event.”

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has jurisdiction in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Montserrat. The court has gained renowned success as a superior court of record.