The Ministry of Justice is aiming to expand its alternative Justice Programme offerings, with a focus on vulnerable groups. In an interview with JIS News, Justice Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, said not all cases have to go before the court to be addressed. “We know that we have a fair amount of domestic abuse, and these abused persons should really...

Youngsters in the parish of Portland who are victims of crimes and other abuse, now have a child-friendly centre where they can get counselling and other support services. The facility, which is located at the Ministry of Justice’s Victim Support Division (VSD), Portland office, at Shops 8 and 9, Bryan’s Bay Plaza, Port Antonio, was made possible through a US$6.7-million...

The Government is moving to amend the Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA) to provide harsher penalties for murder. Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, in outlining the measures during a Ministerial statement in the House of Representatives on January 24, said that in Section 3(1)(b) of the OAPA, the proposed amendment is to increase the mandatory minimum sentence of...

Jamaica has received a CAD$12-million boost from longstanding international partner, Canada, through the newly launched Social Justice (So-JUST) Project. The seven-year initiative, which runs from 2021 to 2028, aims to facilitate a more rights-based and gender-sensitive justice system that yields equitable outcomes for all Jamaicans. It comes in the wake of the recently concluded Justice Undertakings for Social Transformation (JUST)...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, is urging Justices of the Peace (JPs) to work more closely with the police to help curb crime and violence in the society. He noted that the “rights and freedoms of many of our citizens in many communities are being pushed over… by violence producers, who believe that because they have guns they can...

Jamaicans are being urged to contact the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to learn about their eligibility for expungement. Persons with criminal offences on their records may be able to have them removed through the expungement process. Senior Policy Analyst at the Justice Ministry, Shanique Graham, in a recent JIS Studio 58A Session, said there are two general conditions that must...

Jamaicans with criminal records for certain offences are being encouraged to apply for expungement through the Ministry of Justice. Senior Policy Analyst at the Justice Ministry, Shanique Graham, in a recent JIS Studio 58A Session said expungement aims to remove an offence from a person’s criminal record. “It aims to give persons a second chance, a clean slate to start...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck (left), presents a plaque to Justice of the Peace (JP), Kenneth Shaw, during the St. Andrew Justices of the Peace Association’s annual awards banquet held recently at the AC Kingston Hotel. This year’s staging honoured 36 JPs who continue to provide exemplary service to their respective communities and businesses with the highest level of...

The fundamental rights and freedoms to which citizens are entitled are guaranteed in Jamaica’s Constitution and through legislation, according to Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Marlene Malahoo Forte. These include the right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, place of origin, social class, colour, religion or political opinions, and the right to equitable and...