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Harsh penalties
Government contemplates drastic legislative changesBY PAT ROXBOROUGH-WRIGHT Editor-at-Large Western Bureau roxboroughp@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, July 14, 2008
MONTEGO BAY, St James - Motorists who are caught behind the wheel without their driver's licences could be immediately locked up under proposed legislative changes being contemplated by the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, in a desperate bid to address the country's growing crime dilemma, highly placed sources told the Observer.
GOLDING. may decide to adopt measures in answer to the country's growing crime rate
"One strike and you're out. Once the police pull you over and you don't have it, that's it. you're gone. straight to the lock-up until you can produce it. No more five days grace period to produce anything," said our source.
According to the source, the draconian measure is one of several legislative changes that Prime Minister Bruce Golding may decide to adopt and announce this week in answer to the country's cry for the administration to do something to stem the tide of killings. The others concern:
. the expansion of powers currently available to the Jamaica Defence Force to include those available to the Jamaica Constabulary Force;
. a national DNA database which will be built up from information taken from blood samples of Jamaicans;
. a national fingerprint database; and
. an amendment to the Bail Act, which will see the period for which the police can legitimately detain an individual without charge moving up from 48 hours to 42 days in relation to cases of rape, murder, firearm offences, arson, affray and treason.
If Golding decides to implement the proposals, he will be sure to encounter strong opposition from human rights activists. In fact, just two weeks ago, House Speaker Delroy Chuck - a senior member of Golding's administration - closed the second joint meeting of the Caribbean Ombudsman Association and the Central American Council of Human Rights Ombudsmen with a warning that an adoption of the proposal to extend the period under which Jamaicans may be detained without charge, would give rise to an international scandal.
In addition to the warning, Chuck's closing address urged the Government to resist the temptation to adopt criminal-like behaviour in its endeavour to address the country's crime problem. His words were roundly endorsed by the meeting which was attended by several senior human rights icons, including Dr Lloyd Barnett of the Jamaica Independent Council for Human Rights; Public Defender Earl Witter; former Public Defender Howard Hamilton QC; and defence attorney Clayton Morgan.
There is also strong opposition to the proposal for extended detention among the Jamaican public as was revealed in the latest Observer/Don Anderson Poll published a week ago.
According to the poll, conducted between June 25 and July 2 among 1,000 persons islandwide, 50 per cent of respondents said that they would not support the proposal; 36 per cent were in favour of its introduction; 11 per cent were unsure about their position; and three per cent had no opinion.
Anderson said that opposition to the proposal from a demographic perspective "came more so from males, younger persons and persons in the lower socio-economic groups in the society", while "those who primarily favoured the proposal were more females and younger Jamaicans".
Added the pollster: "This proposal has been strongly opposed by some persons on the grounds that this would place too much power in the hands of the police in an environment where there are obvious concerns about the way they currently execute their duties."
Government contemplates drastic legislative changesBY PAT ROXBOROUGH-WRIGHT Editor-at-Large Western Bureau roxboroughp@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, July 14, 2008
MONTEGO BAY, St James - Motorists who are caught behind the wheel without their driver's licences could be immediately locked up under proposed legislative changes being contemplated by the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, in a desperate bid to address the country's growing crime dilemma, highly placed sources told the Observer.
GOLDING. may decide to adopt measures in answer to the country's growing crime rate "One strike and you're out. Once the police pull you over and you don't have it, that's it. you're gone. straight to the lock-up until you can produce it. No more five days grace period to produce anything," said our source.
According to the source, the draconian measure is one of several legislative changes that Prime Minister Bruce Golding may decide to adopt and announce this week in answer to the country's cry for the administration to do something to stem the tide of killings. The others concern:
. the expansion of powers currently available to the Jamaica Defence Force to include those available to the Jamaica Constabulary Force;
. a national DNA database which will be built up from information taken from blood samples of Jamaicans;
. a national fingerprint database; and
. an amendment to the Bail Act, which will see the period for which the police can legitimately detain an individual without charge moving up from 48 hours to 42 days in relation to cases of rape, murder, firearm offences, arson, affray and treason.
If Golding decides to implement the proposals, he will be sure to encounter strong opposition from human rights activists. In fact, just two weeks ago, House Speaker Delroy Chuck - a senior member of Golding's administration - closed the second joint meeting of the Caribbean Ombudsman Association and the Central American Council of Human Rights Ombudsmen with a warning that an adoption of the proposal to extend the period under which Jamaicans may be detained without charge, would give rise to an international scandal.
In addition to the warning, Chuck's closing address urged the Government to resist the temptation to adopt criminal-like behaviour in its endeavour to address the country's crime problem. His words were roundly endorsed by the meeting which was attended by several senior human rights icons, including Dr Lloyd Barnett of the Jamaica Independent Council for Human Rights; Public Defender Earl Witter; former Public Defender Howard Hamilton QC; and defence attorney Clayton Morgan.
There is also strong opposition to the proposal for extended detention among the Jamaican public as was revealed in the latest Observer/Don Anderson Poll published a week ago.
According to the poll, conducted between June 25 and July 2 among 1,000 persons islandwide, 50 per cent of respondents said that they would not support the proposal; 36 per cent were in favour of its introduction; 11 per cent were unsure about their position; and three per cent had no opinion.
Anderson said that opposition to the proposal from a demographic perspective "came more so from males, younger persons and persons in the lower socio-economic groups in the society", while "those who primarily favoured the proposal were more females and younger Jamaicans".
Added the pollster: "This proposal has been strongly opposed by some persons on the grounds that this would place too much power in the hands of the police in an environment where there are obvious concerns about the way they currently execute their duties."
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
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