Debate on the Law Reform (Amendment of Penalties) Act, which seeks to update low outdated monetary fines for a range of offences, began in the House of Representatives on February 26. Opening debate on the Bill, Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, said the legislation seeks to update old penalties in laws falling under the Ministry and is one of...

The Citizen Security and Justice Programme III is set to receive a cash injection of $1.4 billion to carry out its work in the new fiscal year. Details of the allocation are outlined in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure, tabled in the House of Representatives on February 14 by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says that the Government will be amending the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) this year to address illicit cash transactions. “The idea here is that other bodies, such as the legal profession and people who engage in jewellery (sales), will have to report cash transactions, because many illicit activities take place with cash,” he...

The Government has set aside $304.7 million to strengthen governance and oversight structures in the justice system. This will be facilitated through the Justice, Security, Accountability and Transparency (JSAT) Project, which aims to improve the quality of life of Jamaican citizens by strengthening governance and oversight, with particular regard to the functioning of the justice system. This is outlined in...

The Government will be spending $1.2 billion to construct and renovate police stations and other buildings. The project, entitled ‘Construction and Improvement of Police Buildings’, is being implemented by the Ministry of National Security. As outlined in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the money will go towards the construction and expansion of the Caribbean...

The Ministry of Justice is looking to increase the use of mediation in resolving disputes in order to reduce the number of cases that go before the courts. “The mandate, this year, is that we intend to use mediation more, so that more cases can be disposed of, and that is why we are teaming up with National Integrity Action...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, is calling on citizens to expose wrongdoers and speak out against corruption. “We have teamed up with National Integrity Action (NIA), because we recognise that there is too much wrongdoing across the country and somehow we need to expose the wrongdoers and to reduce wrongdoing wherever it occurs,” the Minister said. Mr. Chuck was...

The Ministry of Justice and National Integrity Action (NIA) have entered a new phase of collaboration. “We shall be supporting the implementation of the Child Diversion Act to include training of police officers and other agents in the justice system,” said the NIA’s Executive Director, Professor Trevor Munroe. He said that the entity will also continue its drive for legislative...

Professor of law and director of the Human Trafficking Academy at St. Thomas University in the United States, Dr. Roza Pati, says a multi-national approach is needed to combat human trafficking. “A phenomenon like trafficking is too big of a problem to be faced by governments alone. It’s too big of a problem to be faced by any nation State...