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Chief Justice Zaila McCalla was released from the Tony Thwaites Wing of the University Hospital of the West Indies, yesterday, after completing a series of tests. Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports(MICYS), the Hon. Olivia Grange, confirmed last night that the Chief Justice had completed the tests and was discharged from the hospital. The Minister had reported Wednesday that...

Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Senator Dorothy Lightbourne, has re-emphasised the Government's commitment to the establishment of Community Justice Tribunals. "These tribunals are to be conducted by Justices of the Peace, and other legitimate community leaders, who will resolve disputes between citizens that do not involve criminal offences," the Minister explained about the tribunals, which were an element of...

The Ministry of Justice will spend approximately $15 million this year, on pilot projects supporting the implementation of the Weekend Duty Counsel programme, as part of the Legal Aid system. Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Senator Dorothy Lightbourne, told the Senate on Friday that the Legal Aid Council has started to implement the programme, to strengthen access and increase...

A five-year justice system transformation framework agenda has been prepared and a submission to Cabinet for its approval is being finalised. Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Senator Dorothy Lightbourne, in her contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday (Feb.13), said that the framework, which included priorities from the wide range of reform recommendations...

Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Senator Dorothy Lightbourne, has said that that it will cost approximately $103 million annually to deal with the backlog of cases in the courts. The Minister was making her contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday(Feb.13). She said that several measures have been implemented to deal with the...

'You have the right to an attorney' is a line that anyone who watches TV crime dramas, such as "Law and Order" would be familiar with. But, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Council, Hugh Faulkner, wants Jamaicans to recognize it as more than just a line. He says that the Council provides two forms of Legal Aid, duty counsel...

Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Senator Dorothy Lightbourne, yesterday (February 5) signed an agreement for a C$500,000 contribution from the Canadian-Caribbean Cooperation Fund (CCF) to further develop the Restorative Justice Programme in Jamaica. Minister Lightbourne explained that the Ministry of Justice has been mandated to establish a Restorative Justice Programme in several communities over a two-year period. The agreement...

Executive Director of the Legal Aid Council, Hugh Faulkner, has pledged to make legal aid services available to all Jamaicans, regardless of their means. "We are trying to ensure that not one citizen falls through the cracks, unrepresented," Mr. Faulkner said in an interview with JIS News recently. "The means test makes an assessment as to whether you are an...

The Legal Aid Council has embarked on a duty counsel sensitisation programme, which is aimed at ensuring that the rights of citizens, who are detained or arrested, are fully observed, including their right to legal advice and representation. Executive Director of the Legal Aid Council, Hugh Faulkner, told JIS News, that the outreach is targeting law enforcement officers in the...

The members of the Manchester Lay Magistrates Association have been commended for their contribution to the administration of justice in the parish. "This chapter has been exemplary and within the past 10 years, you have had no fewer than five recipients of the Golden Scale award, which is the highest award from the national body to Justices of the Peace...

Medical Practitioner, Dr. David Stair, is to be installed as Custos of Hanover on March 5, 2009. He succeeds the Hon. Mavis Whitter-King CD, who demitted office in 2006 for health reasons. Dr. Stair was appointed Custos Rotulorum of the parish by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Professor Sir Kenneth Hall, in September of last year on the advice...

Senior Director in the Ministry of Justice, Marcia Beverley, has underscored the provisions and benefits to be derived under the Justice Transformation Agenda Programme, which the administration is pursuing for implementation. Addressing the half yearly meeting of the Manchester Lay Magistrates Association at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville on January 15, Mrs. Beverley said the initiative aims to improve...