Office of the Public Defender to Host Outreach Activities

The Office of the Public Defender (OPD) will be embarking on an outreach programme geared at increasing its visibility and accessibility, particularly to persons outside of the Corporate Area.

Outreach activities will begin in Clarendon at the St. Gabriel’s Anglican Church, May Pen, on Thursday, May 29.

The sessions will move to the St. Matthews Anglican Church in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth and St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Mandeville, Manchester, on June 17 and July 8, respectively. All sessions are scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.

“We are reaching out to persons in the (central) section of the island who find it difficult to make their way into Kingston to lodge complaints to our Office…we know that persons in rural Jamaica have complaints too, and so we have created this opportunity for them to reach us,” Investigator in the Office of the Public Defender, Victor Hemmings, highlighted at a JIS Think Tank on Tuesday, May 27.

Mr. Hemmings pointed out that the sessions will allow persons to meet and have dialogue with the Acting Public Defender, and members of his team, while being informed about the service offerings and mandate of the Office.

“We will record your complaints, address them and carry out further investigations where necessary,” the Investigator said. He encouraged persons to refer all complaints regarding mal-administration or injustice by the State or its agencies, to the Office.

For further details on the services of the OPD, persons may visit its offices at 78 Harbour Street, downtown Kingston, call 922-7089/922-8256, or email: publicdefender@opd.gov.jm.