Police Stations to Be Provided With Updated Lists of LAC Duty Counsel

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, so that if persons in the communities are not aware that they can get an attorney, they can ask the police officers to look on the list and get an attorney for these persons,” Executive Director, Dian Watson, told JIS News.

“We also want members of the public to know that if the police fail to call, they can call us so that we can get a Duty Counsel assigned to them as well,” she added.

Mrs. Watson noted that simplified materials outlining legal aid services for persons with disabilities will be made available at police stations across Jamaica, enhancing access to justice for vulnerable communities.

The Executive Director advised that individuals seeking assistance from the Legal Aid Council may contact the organisation at 888-JUSTICE (888-587-8423).

The Legal Aid Council may also be contacted via WhatsApp at (876) 505-9375 or by email at aid.legal@moj.gov.jm.

“[We] also… have a mobile justice unit, and [we travel] across the island. Every day we go across the island, there’s an attorney on the bus and we give legal advice. We go to targeted communities and justice centres, and our schedule is on the Ministry of Justice’s website,” Mrs. Watson stated.

The Legal Aid Council is a statutory entity under the Ministry of Justice. The Council’s mandate is to administer an efficient and coordinated legal aid system in Jamaica.