Saint Lucia

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Introduction

Quick summary of the context (including the country's recent history)

“Saint Lucia is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state, represented by a governor-general” [1]. Governed by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court [2], the Saint Lucia legal system is a combination of civil and English common law [3].

Legal Aid

The 2007 Legal Aid Act provides for state sponsored civil and criminal legal aid [4].


Defendant's Rights

Defendant’s rights in Saint Lucia are determined and enforced by the Caribbean Court of Justice [5] and the International Court of Justice [6].

The Saint Lucia Criminal Code articulates that a “defendant is entitled to bail and the conditions of bail shall be reasonable but bail can be denied if the court thinks the person would fail to surrender to custody, would commit an offense, or interfere with witnesses or the court thinks they should be kept in custody for his/her own protection, for the protection of the community, or, if he/she is a young person, for their own welfare.”