The Legal Aid Council will host its quarterly Justice Fair in Kingston on March 29 at the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre. This event will provide Jamaicans with the opportunity to receive free legal advice. “The Justice Fair seeks to bring legal services to the public at no cost. Persons will be able to make consultations with the Registrar General’s Department,...

The Ministry of Justice is to receive a $51-million grant from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), to fund the unification of prosecutorial services and strengthen the overall operations of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Portfolio Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck; and Head of the DFID in Jamaica, David Osborne, signed a memorandum of understanding...

Chief Justice, Hon. Bryan Sykes, has committed to instituting measures to further improve service delivery across the judicial system. Among these, he says, are steps to ensure the delivery of outstanding judgments in the Supreme Court by December 31, 2019. Mr. Sykes said that as of 2020, a judgment should be delivered within 90 days, “and in exceptional cases, 180...

Organisers of the annual National Safe Schools Peace Day Concert have recognised the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) III for supporting the initiative over the past six years. Representatives of CSJP were presented with an award by the concert’s planning committee during the event’s staging at Nelson Mandela Park in Half Way Tree, St. Andrew, on March 6. Speaking...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, addresses a Justice of the Peace Sensitisation Session and Commissioning ceremony, which was held recently at the Portland Justice Centre , Buff Bay, Portland. During the ceremony, 31 Justices of the Peace were commissioned into service.

Debate on the Law Reform (Amendment of Penalties) Act, which seeks to update low outdated monetary fines for a range of offences, began in the House of Representatives on February 26.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...