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Ellington says tougher sentences & speedy trials needed to fight crime
The Commissioner of Police has noted possible solutions to the high murder wave sweeping the country.
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }Up to Sunday May 9, 2010, 609 persons had been killed in violent crimes.
Owen Ellington, who was speaking in an interview with the BBC Caribbean Service, said Jamaica's murder rate can best be dealt with, implementing tougher sentences and speedy trials.
According to Commissioner Ellington, much of the crime and violence in Jamaica is generated by conflicts arising out of relationships developed in trans-national organized crimes.
"In Jamaica, we solve an average 150 murders per year. We have a court system that is overwhelmed by the volume of cases going before it and because of this; cases have to be postponed for extended periods.
"In Jamaica, accused person have the right to bail, so even though people may be charged for several serious crimes, they're very often granted bail," Commissioner Ellington said.
The Police Commissioner thinks the right approach to decreasing the murder rate is to build the kind of capacity criminal justice system that can assure swifter trials for violent offenders and longer term prison sentence for violent offenders.
"If we are able to do that, we'll then be able to take a significant cohort of violent offenders off the streets," Mr. Ellington said.
http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/27263/26/
The Commissioner of Police has noted possible solutions to the high murder wave sweeping the country.
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }Up to Sunday May 9, 2010, 609 persons had been killed in violent crimes.
Owen Ellington, who was speaking in an interview with the BBC Caribbean Service, said Jamaica's murder rate can best be dealt with, implementing tougher sentences and speedy trials.
According to Commissioner Ellington, much of the crime and violence in Jamaica is generated by conflicts arising out of relationships developed in trans-national organized crimes.
"In Jamaica, we solve an average 150 murders per year. We have a court system that is overwhelmed by the volume of cases going before it and because of this; cases have to be postponed for extended periods.
"In Jamaica, accused person have the right to bail, so even though people may be charged for several serious crimes, they're very often granted bail," Commissioner Ellington said.
The Police Commissioner thinks the right approach to decreasing the murder rate is to build the kind of capacity criminal justice system that can assure swifter trials for violent offenders and longer term prison sentence for violent offenders.
"If we are able to do that, we'll then be able to take a significant cohort of violent offenders off the streets," Mr. Ellington said.
http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/27263/26/
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