Criminal
Offences Against the Person Act with federal criminal jurisdiction
Criminal law is federal and rests on the Offences Against the Person Act, the Larceny Act and the Drugs (Prevention and Abatement of the Misuse and Abuse of Drugs) Act. Indictable matters are tried in the High Court before a jury in either island, and summary matters before a magistrate. The Director of Public Prosecutions conducts prosecutions for the federation as a whole.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Federal criminal law; High Court sits in both islands
- Deadline — First appearance: without undue delay after arrest
- Deadline — Summary offence: complaint generally within six months
- Deadline — Appeal against conviction: 21 days from sentence
Governing law
- Offences Against the Person Act
- Criminal Procedure Act
- Drugs (Prevention and Abatement of the Misuse and Abuse of Drugs) Act
- Proceeds of Crime Act
In practice
Criminal law is one of the areas reserved to the federal Parliament, so unlike land or local taxation there is no Nevisian divergence to check. The death penalty remains available for murder and Saint Kitts and Nevis carried out the region's most recent execution in 2008, which makes the Privy Council jurisprudence on delay and mandatory sentencing of continuing practical relevance here.