Crime and violence must be tackled as public health issues, not just matters for policing, Minister of Home Affairs Gregory Nicholls said Monday, as regional experts and justice officials pressed for sentencing reform, early intervention and better resourcing to reduce reoffending in Barbados.

The issue was among those discussed at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, where the Barbados Probation Service began a two-day symposium on ‘Modern Perspectives on Sentencing and Penal Reform’.

Nicholls declared the government was prepared to be held accountable, as it plays a critical role in shaping Barbados’ actions to reform its criminal justice system.