Justice system to get boost next year
WESTERN BUREAU
OME NEXT year, the local justice system is poised for major reform, as according to Justice Minister Delroy Chuck, some six new parish courts are to be constructed across the island.
“The Government will be embarking on the building of new parish courts in Port Maria (St Mary), Spanish Town (St Catherine), Mandeville (Manchester), Montego Bay (St James) and Falmouth (Trelawny),”said Chuck.“The priority focus is now on building the ones in Mandeville and Montego Bay, which will cost approximately $1 billion.”
Infrastructural work will also be continuing on the Justice Centre, which is being constructed on a seven-acre property at Rock in Trelawny.
“Presently, the conceptual work for the parish court (for Falmouth) is being done. The justice centre will have a family court, a restorative justice area, a child diversion section, an office for the custos of Trelawny, and a victim support unit,” explained Chuck.
C“The landscaping and the planting of trees are to commence shortly. When that is completed, the Justice Centre will be fully ready to be utilised,” Chuck added. Chuck said he is now in discussions with Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett regarding the future of the present courthouse in Falmouth, which is shared by the Trelawny Municipal Corporation.
“The building is better suited for tourism purposes. It is packed with history which should be preserved and marketed to improve the tourism product offered in Falmouth,” said Chuck. “That is where we (Bartlett and Chuck) are looking.”
Regarding the lands to the south of Falmouth, which is earmarked for development, Chuck said lands have been identified to expand the town and have government offices along Market Street heading towards the old capital, Martha Brae.
Lands are already being utilised in that area as it now houses the new $300-million municipal market and other commercial buildings, which are sited on reclaimed swamplands.
WESTERN BUREAU
BUSINESSMAN KENNETH Grant, president of the Trelawny Lay Magistrates Association, is calling on his fellow justices in the parish to put aside the temptation to profile and, instead, focus on doing the job they were installed to carry out.
In an interview with The Gleaner, Grant expressed his unhappiness with some JPs in the parish: “Cut the profiling and do the work which you have sworn to do on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and the community,” said Grant.
“Since the beginning of 2019, I have signed over 600 documents. There are justices who have not signed 20 documents. It cannot be right. Some are happy to be called justice but turn up their noses when members of the community approach them for service which they have sworn to deliver,” added Grant.
Another area of concern that Grant expressed unhappiness about is the failure of JPs to visit the cells at police stations, which regularly churn out problematic issues.
“In a recent visit to the Falmouth Police Station cells, I met a woman who was there for 50 days without getting a visit from a justice. It is not only a poor reflection on the justices, but also the management at the station. No person should be kept in any lock-up for more than 10 days,” declared Grant.
He went on to bemoan the problems he is having in getting justices to conduct Petty Sessions Court, which is critical in ensuring that the justice system functions properly.
“There is always an excuse when they are called on to attend court,” stated Grant. “There may come a time when I might have to ask the custos to decommission some of these inactive justices. This should not be a problem when there are over 200 justices in the parish.”
When Superintendent Kirk Ricketts, the commanding officer for the Trelawny police, was asked about Grant’s concern regarding persons being held in custody for a protracted period in breach of their rights, he said he was not aware of that concern.
“I am not aware of any breach or any person being kept for over 10 days. I always ensure that the laws governing occupancy of cells are adhered to,” Ricketts said.