{"id":247362,"date":"2025-08-22T17:28:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T21:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=247362"},"modified":"2025-08-22T17:28:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T21:28:21","slug":"ministry-moves-to-close-loopholes-for-young-offenders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/ministry-moves-to-close-loopholes-for-young-offenders\/","title":{"rendered":"Ministry Moves to Close Loopholes for Young Offenders"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ministry Moves to Close Loopholes for Young Offenders<\/strong><\/p>

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The Ministry of Legal Affairs is working with the courts to prevent young offenders from exploiting loopholes to avoid sentencing, amid a recent surge in youth crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maurice Merchant, Director of Communications in the Prime Minister\u2019s Office, said the rise in offences coincided with the summer break, when many students have more free time and less supervision.<\/p>

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\u201cThe courts have been working with legal affairs where there are serious crimes committed by youths\u2026 they have been trying to curb these incidents,\u201d he told reporters on Thursday.<\/p>

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The ministry plans to tighten legislation, launch public awareness campaigns, and strengthen partnerships with law enforcement and community groups. Officials say the approach will balance accountability with rehabilitation, while offering constructive alternatives to keep young people engaged and away from crime.<\/p>\n

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Ministry Moves to Close Loopholes for Young Offenders The Ministry of Legal Affairs is working with the courts to prevent young offenders from exploiting loopholes to avoid sentencing, amid a recent surge in youth crime. Maurice Merchant, Director of Communications in the Prime Minister\u2019s Office, said the rise in offences coincided with the summer break, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":145295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMinistry Moves to Close Loopholes for Young Offenders - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/ministry-moves-to-close-loopholes-for-young-offenders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ministry Moves to Close Loopholes for Young Offenders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ministry Moves to Close Loopholes for Young Offenders The Ministry of Legal Affairs is working with the courts to prevent young offenders from exploiting loopholes to avoid sentencing, amid a recent surge in youth crime. 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