‘Stand Your Ground’ bill triggers clash in Trinidad Parliament

The Trinidad and Tobago government on Wednesday defended its move to introduce legislation allowing homeowners to defend their properties — including through the use of deadly force — amid sharp criticism from the opposition, which argues that the proposed law could undermine the fabric of society.

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Ahead of the parliamentary debate, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar wrote on X that she had promised during the last general election campaign to “act decisively to protect families, safeguard homes and restore peace of mind.”

“Today I am proud that debate begins in the House of Representatives on legislation that will legally empower citizens to defend themselves and their loved ones against the frightening scourge of home invasions, an issue that was left unattended for too long,” she said. Persad-Bissessar described the bill as “more than a law,” calling it “a solemn commitment to your safety, your dignity and your right to feel secure in the one place that must always be safe — your home.”

Attorney General John Jeremie, in piloting the Home Invasion (Self-Defence and Defence of Property) Bill, 2025 — widely referred to as “stand your ground” legislation — said the country’s crime situation had become “untenable.”

“It was left to fester for a decade,” he told MPs. “This government promised to deal head-on with crime, from the root causes to the manifestation of it, and we are not afraid to deal with gang-related crime, gang leaders, and the perpetrators and bullies who have terrorised this country.”

Jeremie said tackling crime would not be “a quick fix” and requires a sustained approach that strengthens law enforcement and ensures the justice system can bring criminals to trial more efficiently. He noted that the legislation is grounded in the long-standing principle that a person’s home is their castle, giving lawful occupants the right to use necessary — and potentially deadly — force against an intruder if they reasonably believe an offence is imminent.

He said the government engaged the Law Reform Commission to determine whether the common-law doctrine was sufficient in the current climate and to craft a policy approach for Trinidad and Tobago. The resulting recommendations formed the basis of the bill now before Parliament.

The legislation also provides that someone assisting a lawful occupant “in good faith” may use the same level of force. However, safeguards are included: the defence would not apply if the person injured had a right to be in the dwelling, if the force used was grossly disproportionate, if the occupant was engaged in criminal activity, or if the individual harmed was a law enforcement officer acting lawfully and the occupant knew — or should have known — this.

Opposition MP and former junior national security minister Keith Scotland sharply criticised the bill, warning that mistaken assumptions about criminal intent could lead to “innocent lives” being lost.

“In this life, it is not a dress rehearsal … and for that deceased there is no return,” said Scotland, a criminal defence attorney. He referenced a case in which a woman was fatally shot after mistakenly approaching the wrong home for a cleaning job. “She was killed. There is no return. She is dead. That is the mischief of this bill.”

Scotland argued that while crime is a serious problem, the proposed law is “not the solution.”

“This bill is a disproportionate, lazy, populist policy from an indolent, lazy and incompetent government who does not want to do the hard work,” he said. “It is the piece of legislation of an administration hell-bent on destroying the very fabric of this society called Trinidad and Tobago, where we say that every creed and race must find an equal place.”

Debate on the bill is expected to continue.