The island’s courts are making steady progress in improving the clearance rate for cases. Notable among these are two Divisions of the Supreme Court. The High Court Division of the Gun Court has reduced the number of active backlogged cases to under 10 per cent and net backlogs to less than five per cent, while the Revenue Court’s list is...

Justice Minister, Delroy Chuck, is appealing to attorneys across the island to serve on the panel of the Legal Aid Council (LAC). The Legal Aid Council is an entity in the Ministry of Justice, mandated to provide an efficient and coordinated Legal Aid system in Jamaica. One core objective is to provide equal access to Justice to all Jamaicans. Minister...

Justice Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says that Parliament has approved increases in fees for attorneys-at-law empanelled by the Legal Aid Council (LAC). “Now it will go through the regulations committee, which will examine it around next week. It will be gazetted, hopefully before the end of the month, and by then these fees will come into operation,” said Justice Minister,...

Cabinet has given approval for revision of the 2012 National Restorative Justice Policy. Education, Youth and Information Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, made the announcement during the virtual post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday (October 6). The Minister said this is being done to ensure the currency and efficacy of the policy, as well as strengthen the legitimacy, reach and overall effectiveness...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, is encouraging more Justices of the Peace (JPs) to offer their services as mediators and restorative justice facilitators to settle disputes involving community members. He said that the Ministry will provide the necessary training, and they will receive a stipend to cover associated costs. “If you have to go into some communities to assist...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says the Ministry will seek approval from Cabinet to use legal aid to pay mediators in the parish courts. “Mediation is a very important alternative dispute resolution method used in the Supreme Court, but not used as much in the parish courts because persons can’t afford it,” he noted. He was addressing the Ministry’s...

The Justice Training Institute (JTI) is making it easier for students to do their assessments amid the challenges caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Speaking with JIS News, Director Principal of the JTI, Karen Campbell Bascoe, said that the move is part of efforts to improve programme delivery to better cater to students’ needs. “There is fatigue for everybody in...