Effective March 8, 2021, jury trials for St. Catherine Circuit have been suspended. As such, persons who were summoned for jury duty at the St. Catherine Circuit are not required to attend and have been discharged without any risk of penalty. Matters which qualify as bench trials and matters, in which the Crown and the Defence agree to a bench...

The Judiciary of Jamaica wishes to advise the public that the St. James Parish Court will be closed today (March 4, 2021) at 1:00pm to facilitate deep cleaning of the building after a member of staff tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19). The St. James Parish Court will resume operations on Friday, March 5, 2021. Persons with matters before the...

A contract valued at $90.87 million has been signed between the Ministry of Justice and Contraxx Enterprise Limited, for the establishment of a Family Court facility, in St. Ann’s Bay, St. Ann. The signing took place on Wednesday (February 24), at the Ministry’s Constant Spring Road offices in Kingston. The scope of work will include the retrofitting and internal renovation...

The Ministry of National Security is now in discussion with the relevant authorities to see to the appropriate relocation of 26 juveniles deemed uncontrollable who are in the custody of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). This was announced by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda who said arrangements are being made...

The Ministry of National Security has convened a working group to address some of the issues highlighted in the recently concluded special investigation report into the Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM). Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda who made the disclosure, noted that the group will focus particularly...

Public Defender, Arlene Harrison Henry, says the ‘Know Your Rights’ Campaign will assist persons to know what to do in particular circumstances and calls on Jamaicans to pay keen attention to the campaign messages. Speaking at a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’, the Public Defender explained that the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) has partnered with the National Family Planning...

Inspector of Police, Rochelle McGibbon Scott, is hailing restorative justice as a useful tool in helping to minimise reprisals when a crime is committed. An alternative dispute resolution method, restorative justice works to mend relationships broken by conflict, using a series of conferences involving victims, the accused and, at times, community members. It focuses on holding the offender accountable in...