PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Attorney General, Reginald Armour, Friday said that the Trinidad and Tobago government intends to re-introduce the Bail Amendment Bill that had failed to get opposition support earlier this year restricting bail up to 120 days for repeaters of serious crimes.

The bill failed and the Bail Act no longer became law as of August 5.

Armour, speaking in the Senate, said “it remains my intention, as I have undertaken to do in another place, and my office has scheduled a comprehensive review and reform of the bail system and bail legislation which we will bringing back to this Parliament informed by consultation from a socio-psychological and criminological perspective and with other relevant stakeholders.”

“That is not to say, Madam President we must be ennui to the plight of persons who ran afoul of the law and who yet incarcerated in our prisons,” added Armour.

He said the Criminal Records Bill 2022 will govern the rehabilitation of offenders who have committed minor offences “and that Bill will provide for the expunging of an individual’s criminal record once he or she has satisfied the prescribed criteria during the relevant rehabilitation programme”.

He told the Senate that the rehabilitation discussion “has been ongoing for decades informed by the need to ensure that persons do not need to walk the rest of their lives with stigma of a conviction for a minor offence and it is my promise to give life to this bill within this legislative period.”

“It is the need, in my respective view and that of our government that we need to ensure that the harden criminal elements are appropriately and proportionately targeted and balanced by the need to effectively prepare those persons who have served their time to be rehabilitated for entry into our society”.,

He said through the combined effect of the Administrative of Justice Parole Bill and the Probation of Offenders Amendment Bill, it is envisaged that there will be improved options for convicted prisoners who have served their time.

“These options when work in tandem with other rehabilitative efforts in Trinidad and Tobago’s prison services will see, we expect, a positive impact on the recidivism rate.”

Armour also told the Senate that the government would be proposing an amendment to the Firearms Act as a direct response “to among other things the recent and disturbing trend which sees the brutal public execution of serving prison officer.

“This bill will empower the Commissioner of Prisons to grant permission to a prison officer to have in his possession, a firearm or ammunition while off duty and in any public place where the Commissioner of Prisons considers the life or safety of the officer is under threat by members of the public.”

Armour said that the amendments will work with other regulatory improvements intended to be made to the Firearms Act to increase the licensing fees as well as to provide further regulation for the possession and ownership of assault weapons.

“These measures are ancillary to wider exercise on firearms which is also engaging the attention of my office,” Armour told the Senate.