Barbados, an independent island in the Caribbean, is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands. Because of centuries of British rule, the island has a rich British tradition. Education is the largest item of government expenditure, and the literacy rate in 1992 was 98 percent. Formal responsibility for delinquents is allocated to the Juvenile Court, whose administration is governed by the Juvenile Offenders Act, Cap. 138, and to a lesser extent by the Reformatory and Industrial Schools Act, Cap. 169, and the Magistrates' Jurisdiction and Procedure Act, Cap. 116. Juveniles are legally defined as 7 to 16 years old, and it is legally possible for juveniles to be tried in juvenile court at age 7, although this is rare. The objectives of Barbados' juvenile justice system are to hold the juvenile accountable for his/her actions, to treat the juvenile, and to ensure the safety of the community. To accomplish these goals, Barbados has created several programs, such as probation, the Juvenile Liaison Scheme, the School Attendance Program, and the School Liaison Program. The juvenile justice system also works closely with agencies and institutions such as the Welfare Department, the Child Care Board, the church, and the schools. There are several deficiencies in the juvenile justice system. The age of criminal responsibility is too low; status offenders are processed in the legal system instead of the social system; there are limited dispositional (sentencing) options; probation officers are overworked; and there is apparently very little treatment for delinquents in industrial schools. A holistic approach to delinquency in which there is coordination between law enforcement, juvenile courts, correctional institutions, treatment, and prevention programs can reduce delinquency. The reform of Barbados' juvenile justice system must be part of a broad, comprehensive, community-wide effort to identify and address the root causes of delinquency. 12 references