Residents of Steer Town in St. Ann benefited from free legal services, consultation and information, which were provided by several government agencies during a Justice Fair hosted in the community by the Legal Aid Council on March 22. Council representatives say the fair formed a crucial part of the entity’s social-intervention strategies for volatile communities, through the provision of vital...

Associate Professor of Law at Gongza University in the United States (US), Inga Laurent, is praising the Government for the progress made in pushing restorative justice as a means of reducing conflict and maintaining peace in communities. She notes the various initiatives implemented under the Ministry of Justice to build capacity and increase awareness about restorative justice in schools and...

During 2018, the Ministry of Justice continued its thrust to create a sound court infrastructure, in keeping with the Justice Reform Implementation Plan (JRIP). Improved Infrastructure • Over $1.4 billion was allocated for capital development, which included construction, refurbishment and rehabilitation of justice institutions. • Three new justice centres were opened in Westmoreland, Trelawny and St. Mary, bringing to five...

Justice of the Peace (JP) for Kingston, Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Euken Mills, believes specialised training which he and colleague JPs have received to serve as a lay magistrates, will greatly enable them to assist in reducing the backlog of cases in the courts. He is one of 40 JPs from Kingston and St. Andrew who have trained in the Justice...

Recent changes made to the Dangerous Drugs Act in 2015 will change the way that ganja is handled by the authorities. When the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015 came into effect on April 15, 2015, new provisions will be in place regarding the possession and smoking of ganja, use of ganja by persons of the Rastafarian faith, and use of ganja for medical,...