MEMBER of Parliament for Port of Spain South Keith Scotland has described the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Bill, 2026, as 'deeply flawed, premature, and potentially dangerous' to the administration of justice and public safety in Trinidad and Tobago.

Contributing to debate on the bill in Parliament on Friday, the Opposition MP argued that the legislation wrongly targets long-term prisoners while overlooking offenders serving shorter sentences who may be more suitable candidates for rehabilitation.

'At this stage in this poor form, it ought to be sent to a JSC (Joint Select Committee) to interrogate the amendments that we have circulated on this side. I will tell you one fundamental flaw in this bill; this bill targets long-term sentences, and a long-term sentence is defined as ten years of imprisonment. So, these are the persons who will be eligible to qualify for parole,' Scotland said.