More than 53,000 people were arrested and charged for various offences in Trinidad and Tobago over the last decade.
That’s according to Minister of Justice Devesh Maharaj as he introduced new legislation aimed at addressing the growing issue of repeat offenders within the prison system.
He said the proposed Parole Bill, 2026 is intended to help curb recidivism.
“Mr. Speaker, between 2015 and 2025, a total of 53,183 persons were arrested and charged for various offences in Trinidad and Tobago.”
Minister Maharaj described the figure as alarming and pointed to it as evidence of a crisis within the criminal justice system.
He noted that even more troubling is the high number of repeat offenders.
“What is going on in our country? Why are so many of our young people returning to crime?”
The Minister cited data from the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service showing that recidivism rates averaged more than 50% between 2022 and 2026.
He also revealed that reports from the Prison Service indicate significant shortcomings in the resources needed to effectively rehabilitate offenders.
“We have been complaining vigorously about crime. We have been complaining about repeat offending, but yet when it happens, we have not taken the steps to address this situation, Mr. Speaker.”
Minister Maharaj criticised the former administration’s handling of rehabilitation programmes within the prison service, saying those initiatives had failed to deliver meaningful results.
He told Parliament that a note will be taken to Cabinet to initiate a comprehensive review of the entire system.