Belize Launches First Sentencing Guidelines

Belize has introduced its first-ever Sentencing Guidelines as part of the ongoing reform of its criminal justice system. The announcement was made by Chief Justice Louise Esther Blenman on Thursday, calling it “a significant milestone in the ongoing transformation of the criminal justice system.”

In her statement, CJ Blenman said that the guidelines “when implemented will promote consistency, transparency, and fairness in sentencing practices across the criminal justice system.”

Developed through collaboration between the Senior Courts of Belize, legal professionals, and international jurists, the guideline is anticipated to reduce disparities in sentencing.

The initiative aligns with recommendations from the CCJ Academy for Law’s Needham’s Point Declaration on Criminal Justice Reform.

This follows Blenman’s keynote at the Legal Conference on Criminal Justice Reform in Guyana, where she first highlighted Belize’s efforts to address case backlogs and improve sentencing. Over 300 Caribbean legal experts focused on improving the criminal justice system.