More than guaranteeing a speedy conviction, plea bargaining provides benefits for multiple interests involved in a criminal matter, including victims of crime, while ensuring the integrity of the justice system. Plea bargaining involves negotiations between the attorney for the defendant and the prosecutor, where the defendant decides to plead guilty in exchange for an agreement by the prosecutor to vary...

The Government has presented a major development plan for the Bernard Lodge area of St. Catherine that will result in more affordable housing, expansion of jobs, sustainable agricultural production, upgrading of roads and informal communities, and improved water supply. Dubbed the Greater Bernard Lodge Development Master Plan, communities such as Clifton and Dunbeholden will also have infrastructure upgrades and community...

With the nation grappling, like the rest of the world, with how to prevent an escalation of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some residents in St. Ann have lauded the Municipality for its action. Marsha Lindo, a souvenir shop owner from Ocho Rios, tells JIS News that she has watched the St. Ann Municipal Corporation stepped up to the plate in...

Youth Mayor for St. Ann’s Bay, Bobby Francis, is using his platform to encourage more young people to get involved in politics in order to have their voices heard on national issues. The head boy and sixth-form student at York Castle High School, tells JIS News that youth participation in the country’s decision-making is critical to national development. He says he wants young...

Director/Principal of the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL), Dr. Taneisha Ingleton, is encouraging school principals and administrators who are at home due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) to utilise its online platforms to continue their leadership training. She says that through the entity’s website, YouTube and Facebook pages, programme participants can access a range of video and audio clips on...

The Government has been pushing for the use of alternative dispute resolutions such as restorative justice as a means of reducing conflict and maintaining the peace within communities. Restorative Justice is a process whereby all the parties with a stake in an offence come together to collectively resolve the conflict and to reintegrate the offender into the community. It is...

Starting a full-service digital media agency was nowhere near Alex Morrissey’s mind when he obtained his Industrial Design degree from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida. Now seven years in as a young entrepreneur, the Founder and Director of Esirom Limited finds fulfilment in providing a space where skills in the creative industry can be nurtured, while at...

On December 17, 2019, the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) commissioned a new 190-megawatt (MW) natural gas power plant in Old Harbour, St Catherine, propelling Jamaica towards the realm of cleaner, efficient energy. The plant generates electricity using natural gas and is the most efficient fuel-burning power plant in the island. President and Chief Executive Officer of JPS, Emanuel DaRosa,...

City & Guilds International Limited has been the largest provider of vocational education across 80 countries for 142 years. Locally, it has been a credible option to the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), for students at grades 11, 12 and 13. City & Guilds representative for Jamaica and the Caribbean, Marva Duncanson, tells JIS News that for over 14 decades,...