The Barbados Probation Service’s 2024 operational report is showing an increase over 2023 of individuals being placed under its care for offences.
There were 89 individuals placed on probation last year, an increase of 27.1 per cent from the 70 in 2023. Of these, 78 were males and the majority of new probationers were aged 16 to 27.
The leading categories of offences resulting in probation placements were acts leading to or intending to cause harm, drug-related offences, property offences (especially among males) and fraud and deception (notably among females).
Notably, drug-related probation placements increased by 38.5 per cent, underscoring the shift from incarceration to supervised rehabilitation for drug offences.
Probation services were extended to 23 juveniles in 2024 – five females and 18 males with the offences involved including acts intending to cause harm and property crimes.
Probation officers implemented the risk-need-responsivity (RNR) model to provide targeted intervention based on age, risk level, and social environment.
Station Sergeant Jamal Mohan and Inspector Roger Babb, of the Community Relations Department, said many youth were acting out due to domestic trauma or neglect, leading to disobedience or truancy.
“There’s almost always a root cause,” Mahon said.
“Sometimes, it’s as simple as a lack of parental attention. Other times, it’s deeper – childhood trauma, abuse, or learning challenges that haven’t been addressed. Sometimes it’s as simple as a child feeling ignored or a sibling rivalry.”
The department has five to six youth referred directly by the Barbados Probation Service.
“These are young people who may have already appeared in court or are being monitored by probation officers, but instead of incarceration or punitive measures, they are being sent to us to undergo assessment, mentorship and life skills training,” Mohan said.
“Juvenile rehabilitation isn’t just about monitoring – it’s about redirecting futures through structured, age-appropriate support,” said Babb
“We find that we were seeing a lot of young persons involved in crime, but the thing is that the ones that might have been exposed to crime, they’re not the ones that are joining the programmes. But the strategy is that if you work with some early to prevent them from getting to that stage where they have to commit the crime, we hope some of the other young persons in the communities look at it as something positive and start thinking about keeping themselves away from crime.”
The service continues to play a pivotal role in the nation’s criminal justice system, with a strong emphasis on rehabilitation, risk reduction, and judicial support, stated the report.
In addition to its core function of preparing pre-sentencing reports, the department provided courts with a broad range of support services in 2024, including domestic case evaluations, offender progress reviews, juvenile assessments, provide counselling and supervision for persons placed on probation and also offenders ordered to perform community service, and act as Guardian Ad Litem in adoption matters.
The department also prepared a range of reports to guide judicial decision-making, including 125 domestic reports under which fell maintenance assessments, protection order evaluations, social enquiry and access reports, six adoption reports and 190 offender progress reports – tracking rehabilitative compliance and behavioural change.
Its Community Service Division, the report said, continues to grow in both scope and impact and in 2024, 173 individuals, of which only 15 were female, were placed in community service – an 11.6 per cent increase from the previous year’s 155.
Offences leading to community service placements included drug-related offences (for both genders); road traffic/public safety violations (notably among women); property and harm-related acts (especially among men). The ages of these offenders were 16 to 27.
Participants are required to complete 80 to 240 hours of service within 12 months. Placement is based on a three-tier assessment model risk evaluation, community need, and offender capability.
“The programme allows individuals to give back while building practical skills and self-worth,” said an officer who works closely with the department. “It’s about accountability, yes – but also transformation.”
In 2024, 211 adults remained under active supervision with males having the larger figure of 172.
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