Over the last year, the Administrator-General’s Department (AGD) closed 434 estates and transferred all the assets to the beneficiaries. This was disclosed by Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, who informed that the Department, which “is one of the shining [agencies] of the Ministry of Justice”, exceeded its target of closing 400 estates. He further noted that 350 new estate...

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) disposed of more than 1,200 cases across the various circuit and gun courts islandwide during the last fiscal year. This was disclosed by Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, who said this adds to the Office’s “excellent track record of delivering effective and just prosecutions in criminal proceedings”. “Over the past...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, wants to see the expungement of the criminal records of more ex-offenders who have long given up on a life of crime and are now upstanding citizens. Expungement involves the formal removal of a conviction from an individual’s criminal/police record after a specific period of time has elapsed and after certain requirements have been...

A total of 305 children, aged 12 to 17 years, have been referred to the Child Diversion Programme since it was implemented in April last year. Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, who made the disclosure, said these referrals under the Child Diversion Programme, means “305 at-risk children have been given a second chance”. “This means… 305 children, who might...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says he will shortly bring to Cabinet a strategy for alternative dispute resolution in Jamaica. The strategy seeks to encourage potential litigants to mediate matters before they file cases in the Courts, which would eliminate the need for lengthy trials in those instances. “The Government will be doing its very best to ramp up...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says the Ministry would like to see definitive timelines for various processes in the Courts. “I believe that no matter in the Parish Courts should extend from filing to completion beyond 24 months, and I expect that 90 per cent of these matters should be completed within 12 months. We are getting there and...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says that during the last fiscal year the High Courts began hearing matters electronically. Making his contribution to the 2021/22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on May 4, he informed that all hearings from the Court of Appeal are now conducted remotely using video and teleconferencing, and at the Supreme Court, bail...