Health Ministry Officials to Serve as JPs

Six senior officers at the Ministry of Health and Wellness have been commissioned to provide voluntary service in their communities as Justices of the Peace (JPs).

The officers, who were commissioned recently at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew, said they seized the opportunity when they were notified by the Ministry of Justice to make themselves available to serve in the justice system as JPs.

Scientific Officer at the Ministry, Livingston Burnett, said for him, becoming a JP is to “give back to the country, and especially my community”.

“I want to do a little of everything, especially sitting as a Lay Magistrate. I am ready to serve,” he told JIS News at the commissioning ceremony.

Regional Technical Director at the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), Dr. Sandra Chambers, said she is from a family of JPs that have been serving their communities, and “I hope to sit in a Petty Session Court”.

She described her JP training as “excellent”, particularly the section dealing with the Bail Act.

Meanwhile, Stephen Davidson, Director of Communication at the Ministry, said the system needs persons from all levels of the population to make it work, and “it is an opportunity to serve my community in a different way, and to impact my country”.

In addition to upholding the rights of citizens, a JP is required to serve the public in attesting and authenticating documents under the official seal, such as passport forms, passport-sized photos, and banking applications, as well as perform Judicial functions in Parish Courts or Lay Magistrates’ Courts and preside in Children’s Courts.

They are also required to attend the Children’s Courts and the Drug Court; consider applications for bail; visit lockups, children’s homes, and homes for the aged; serve on the Licensing Authority for Spirit Licence and give counsel and advice.

Justices of the Peace are guided by their code of conduct.

The code is intended to provide effective administration of justice by promoting high moral and ethical conduct.

The law requires that the office of the Justice of the Peace be free of emolument, so any duty carried out as a JP must be free of charge.

As a means of accountability, JPs are required to file an annual report to their Custos detailing their activities over the period.