The Ministry of Justice is seeking to ensure that mentally disordered persons receive quality legal representation and that inclusivity is achieved across the sector. To support that effort, the Legal Aid Council (LAC) hosted a Capacity-building Training for Empanelled Lawyers representing Mentally Disordered Defendants, on Wednesday (July 30), at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. In his address, Justice...

Director of the Justice Ministry’s Victim Services Branch (VSB), Dionne Dawn Binns, says child-friendly spaces are providing an environment to help children who are victims of crime feel safe. “These spaces are designed to help the children feel calm and comfortable while they’re interacting with their counsellor, their social worker, whomever it may be,” Ms. Binns told JIS News. She...

The Legal Aid Council (LAC) is taking steps to equip police stations with updated lists of Duty Counsels. A Duty Counsel is an attorney appointed to provide legal representation for individuals detained in police stations or lockups. “We want lawyers to be readily available to go to the police station and we want the police officers to have this list,...

Hon. Mr. Justice Winston Anderson has expressed his commitment to leading the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) with integrity as its fourth President, noting that he will rely on the strength and support of his colleagues throughout his tenure. This, even as he acknowledged beginning to feel the weight of the responsibility that comes with leading the region’s highest judicial...

Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. John Briceno, has lauded the appointment of the Hon. Mr. Justice Winston Anderson, a Jamaican, as President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), describing him as “a jurist whose professional career highlights him as one who has always pushed the envelope”. Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony held on Sunday (July 6) at the Jewel...

The Senate, on Friday (June 27), passed amendments to the Praedial Larceny (Prevention) Act, aimed at combatting the theft of agricultural produce, livestock and fish. Piloting the Bill, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, said agriculture and aquaculture are entering a new era of productivity, production and national development. “Through our new FACE...

More than 600 young musicians from across Jamaica will converge at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall, St. James, on Sunday, July 6, for the annual Marching Band Explosion. These youngsters are part of 11 of Jamaica’s top marching bands that will be participating in the major national showcase, organised by the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica (LMAJ),...