Up Close
with Judge Warner,
A Senior Magistrate

“Stay at school and get qualified. There will always be negatives around you but do not allow yourself to bow down to negative peer pressure. Look for guidance when in doubt and follow positive role models”.

What school and college did you go to?
Magistrate Warner was born in Barbados and went to secondary school in Barbados followed by university at the University of London. He left Secondary School with A level qualifications and at University gained a 1 st Degree in Law and then studied to be a Barrister.

How did you become a Magistrate?
He explained that in order to become a Magistrate or judge you must first become a lawyer. He also added that the position represents the pinnacle of a legal career and that it is based on experience, reputation and training.

On average how many youth (18 and under) do you see in Magistrates Court each week? And for what crimes?
“Magistrate Warner simply answered “Too many”.

In your opinion have youths’ attitudes changed over the last decade?
Magistrate Warner said that he had seen a dramatic increase in the last five years of offenders under the age of 20, with several of the cases involving violence.

In your opinion what is at the root of criminality amongst the youth?
Magistrate Warner said that in large he felt the problems were drug related. He also added that he felt there was a total disregard for the law. He finds this to be evident in court with “no care” attitude.

What factors do you take in to account when sentencing a juvenile?
He explained that there is a Juvenile Court for youth under 16. The Youth News team is going to arrange an interview with them.

In your opinion what alternatives are there to incarceration locally and how effective are they?
He explained that Government had recently passed legislation to implement measures to give alternatives. He went on to explain that probation has a lot of tools now such as Community Service. In addition he said that a Drug Court has been set up to deal exclusively with drug offenders.

What rehabilitation processes would you like to see in place that do not already exist?
He said that he felt for a small country we already have quite extensive rehabilitation services available and that it was a question of re-strengthening the ones we have. However he did concur that this is extremely expensive.

The Youth News Team would like to thank Magistrate Warner for a very interesting and informative “Up Close” interview.