There were no reports of disappearance or politically motivated abductions. The Constitution prohibits torture and other cruel or inhuman treatment of prisoners or detainees, and these prohibitions are generally respected in practice. In 1990 Parliament amended the law to permit flogging as a penalty for rape. While there were no reported floggings of convicted rapists, several people were flogged for conviction on child molestation charges. The Constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention, which do not occur in practice.
Criminal defendants have the right of judicial determination of the legality of their detention.
Detainees must be brought before a court within 48 hours of arrest or detention. There were no reports of involuntary exile. The judicial system is modeled on that of the United Kingdom and is part of the Eastern Caribbean legal system. Final appeal may be made to the Queen's Privy Council in the United Kingdom, which is invariably done in the case of death sentences. There are no military or political courts.