DPP says ‘informer culture’ hurting justice system

[Lazie]

RJR

A pervasive informer culture supported by music that tells persons of the horrific consequences of telling on wrongdoers are the elements of what support a failing legal system.

That is the assessment from Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn.

Speaking on TVJ's Smile Jamaica Monday morning the DPP supported her argument with the lyrics

of a popular dance hall song which tells of what will happen to an informer.

She said this informer culture is eating away at the proper course of justice.

Miss Llewellyn said the Jamaican culture has been taken over by this causing it to be a normal occurrence for persons to refrain from being witnesses or giving information to the police.

"I am all for freedom of expression and I am all for Jamaican culture but when this is played what do you think is the subconscious message just feeding into our young people and the populace and then you all and even Members of Parliament is saying where are the cases
, where are the witnesses? The witnesses are surrounded by this culture," Ms. Llewellyn said.

She added that until this culture changes then the justice system will always have problems with backlogs in cases and the general course of justice not being properly followed.

[Gamma]

this has been raised before...well..i guess it has just been raised again!

[Mosiah]

i did my fair share of informing yesterday. and i feel so good about it!

[Gamma]

you and everbody else who say th14 handle the ball!!!!

[Mosiah]

I never said that! I said he carressed the ball!

[Historian]

Just One Question!

A pervasive informer culture supported by music that tells persons of the horrific consequences of telling on wrongdoers are the elements of what support a failing legal system.

That is the assessment from Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn.

She added that until this culture changes then the justice system will always have problems with backlogs in cases and the general course of justice not being properly followed.

I’m going to start by saying that I am very, very surprised that this news story was actually posted here on this particular message board, and more so by the person (one of the most articulate defenders of dancehall culture here) who posted it!!

Now, to put it as delicately as I can: Can ANYONE guess why I’m rapidly losing interest in this message board, despite some occasional musical input I’ve made here?

Fact: Because more and more I’m I’ve realized, from reading the viewpoints expressed, that the politicians are NOT the only ones to be blamed for the problems of today’s Jamaica!! But then again, wasn’t I saying from Day One that we are ALL guilty of Jamaica’s current problems?? Check the archives of some of my posts, and you will see this.

Finally, my question: What’s the point of starting this thread? In other words, is not this question something which we have all realized from way, way back in the 1990s???


We Jamaicans have to among the most focking stupid people found anywhere on this focking planet, and this is no joke!!

[Baddaz]

of course the informer culture is affecting justice administration... that is nothing new... we've all known about this for decades... the question is what is the legislature and the judiciary going to do about it...

are they going to continue to 'talk' instead of passing and enforcing laws to arrest the situation...

laws need to be passed to seriously deter any consideration of harming a witness... make it more beneficial for the accused to have the witness in court...

[Peter R]

Historian,

You think that then that a problem that has existed for at least a couple decades should no longer be highlighted? Maybe I'm missing something from your post.

I empathize with the frustration that your post expresses. What we would really like to see and hear are al least some suggested strategies to deal with the problem.

[Lionpaw]

ppl scared to inform cause when police get the info dem go tell di badman dem. there are many cases of ppl getting murdered after they confidentially told the police about a situation. yow dem nuh ramp fi blame music yunnuh. and unnuh nuh ramp fi lap up wha dem a say. the powers that be are trying to find scapegoats in order to exonerate themselves of the evils they do. dem cant tell mi nutt'n still cause dem fi hand over dudus but dem want know who di informer dem be fi kill dem.

[Assasin]

Historian can't be fustrated. Historian our problems will remain the same until there is true leadership.

People can rant on this board and present different sides. Not take it literal as people sometimes just take sides or reason. We can all do our little bit but it will take leaders to put the problem.

In some communities it is the same. I won't forget when them snitch on John Gotti how an Italian woman I worked with reacted, I had to wonder if the "honest, family woman" was a mobster.

[Historian]

Missing The Point??!

Historian,

You think that then that a problem that has existed for at least a couple decades should no longer be highlighted? Maybe I'm missing something from your post.

I empathize with the frustration that your post expresses. What we would really like to see and hear are al least some suggested strategies to deal with the problem.

Peter: You are in fact missing not only ‘something,” but indeed the very essence of my post!!!! Boss, let me tell you that this poster, “Historian” has made numerous posts highlighting this what you call “problem that has existed for at least a couple of decades”!! Are you new to this damn forum??!!

The fact is that from the very first post I made here several years ago on the old Reggae Boyz Forum, a reply to a post on “Dancehall Nice” (or “Dancehall Sweet”) by Mosiah, I included a very detailed discussion of this very issue!!

You, Peter, in your “innocence,” have failed to understand the reason for my anger at this particular thread!!

By the way, all I was trying to say above is that the same focking thing that has been stated by this hardworking bureaucrat in Jamaica is the same thing that I have been saying for years, in plain words, and in the face of ferocious rebuttals by people like the starter of this thread!!!

Is that difficult for you or anyone else to understand, boss?!

[Baddaz]

the powers that be are trying to find scapegoats in order to exonerate themselves of the evils they do. dem cant tell mi nutt'n still cause dem fi hand over dudus but dem want know who di informer dem be fi kill dem.

you make good points... the administration needs to send every signal that they are tough on crime... the people of jamaica don't take the administration seriously because of their inconsistent attitude and mixed messages on crime...

as i said above, it's on the legislature and the judiciary... protect the witnesses...

[Historian]

Oh???

you make good points... the administration needs to send every signal that they are tough on crime... the people of jamaica don't take the administration seriously because of their inconsistent attitude and mixed messages on crime...

as i said above, it's on the legislature and the judiciary... protect the witnesses...

When did you start to take this stance??

Just asking (forgive me for asking, as I cannot recall you taking such a hardline position against this ferocious entity).

[Mosiah]

But then again, wasn’t I saying from Day One that we are ALL guilty of Jamaica’s current problems??

Mi nuh guilty a nutten! Talk fi yuhself!

[Lazie]

Historian, even though I'm a fan of dancehall music, I am not afraid to acknowledge the negatives of the music.