Senate Approves Amendments to Jury Act to Increase Stipend Paid to Jurors

The Senate on Friday (April 17), passed the Jury (Amendment) Act, 2026, paving the way for a 200 per cent increase in the stipend paid to persons who serve as jurors in civil and criminal trials.

Piloting the Bill, Leader of Government Business in the Senate and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith said the stipend is to be increased from $2,000 to $6,000 for each day or part thereof that a juror serves.

She also informed that the Bill addresses the position of persons who are required to attend court for the selection process but are not chosen for the jury.

“The government has taken into consideration the expense incurred by these individuals to get to the relevant courthouse and now proposes the introduction of a new stipend of $2,000 for each day of attendance during the selection process,” the Senator Johnson Smith stated.

She acknowledged that while the sum is modest, the government recognizes the personal sacrifice involved in answering the call to perform this civic function and seeks to lighten the financial burden associated with it, removing barriers to serving.

Senator Johnson Smith emphasised that complete replacement of earnings or losses would be an impossible task for the Government but noted that the amendments are a measured and necessary step in strengthening the jury system.

“It enhances the conditions under which citizens are called upon to serve, and by addressing the financial implications, the bill ensures or encourages greater compliance with summonses by reducing the hardship,” she stated.

Senator Johnson Smith affirmed that the amendment to the Jury Act is the latest in a series of actions to modernise and improve the justice system over the past few years, to ensure that Jamaicans have increased access to justice.

“We have increased access to legal aid, implemented mobile legal aid units, we have built new and better courts, justice centres, family courts, and we have been working at continuing to upgrade and renovate the court system,” she outlined.

The Senator noted that the Government has also increased legal staff and the number of judges at all three levels and is integrating technology to make justice delivery faster and more efficient.