Golding meets resistance to Bail Act proposals

[Lazie]

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding has started to meet opposition to a proposed amendment to the Bail Act.

Under the proposal amendment, an accused person may be detained for 60 days without bail but he must be taken before the court during that period.

However, the Independent Jamaican Council for Human Rights, says this provision is trespassing on the authority and independence of the judiciary.

According to Nancy Anderson, the legal officer for the Independent Jamaican Council for Human Rights, the judiciary is the most appropriate entity to determine whether an accused individual should be granted bail.

She is insisting that the proposal to make it lawful for an individual to be held for as many as 60 days without bail is encroaching on the discretion of the courts.

More than two years ago when the Bail (Amendment) Act was tabled, concerns were also raised about the proposal to detain accused people for as many as 60 days without bail.

The Government has since revised that bill.

It is still suggesting that accused people may be held for 60 days without bail, but on the condition that are taken to court during the period.

Yesterday, in opening the debate on the proposed changes to the Bail Act and five other anti-crime laws Mr Golding said he was expecting resistance.

However, he said the measures are necessary in order to respond to the current crime situation.

The Bail (Amendment) Act and the five other bills are part of the anti-crime legislative framework the Government wants to implement this year.

[Lazie]

Politician concerned about firearm laws

One Government backbencher is raising concerns about proposed changes to the Jamaican law to deal with firearm offenders.

Under the proposed changes to the firearms act, a minimum 15-year prison term would be introduced for convicted gun offenders.

However, the maximum sentence of life imprisonment will remain.

There will also be changes to the Parole Act for gun offenders.

At present, gun offence convicts can be eligible for parole after seven years in prison, and the proposal is to increase that period to 10 years.

However, the South East St Elizabeth MP, Frank Witter, says legislators must give consideration to licensed firearm holders who improperly use their guns.

“These offenders should not be subjected to the same penalties as gunmen,” said Mr Witter.

The debate on the anti-crime bills has been suspended until next Tuesday.

[Baddaz]

Politician concerned about firearm laws

One Government backbencher is raising concerns about proposed changes to the Jamaican law to deal with firearm offenders.

Under the proposed changes to the firearms act, a minimum 15-year prison term would be introduced for convicted gun offenders.

However, the maximum sentence of life imprisonment will remain.

There will also be changes to the Parole Act for gun offenders.

At present, gun offence convicts can be eligible for parole after seven years in prison, and the proposal is to increase that period to 10 years.

However, the South East St Elizabeth MP, Frank Witter, says legislators must give consideration to licensed firearm holders who improperly use their guns.

“These offenders should not be subjected to the same penalties as gunmen,” said Mr Witter.

The debate on the anti-crime bills has been suspended until next Tuesday.

there lies the crux of the problems affecing jamaica... politicians are trying to seek protection for a certain segment of the society because of their inherent thought that some people are more privileged...

if a licensed firearm holder knows the laws and there is no way around the law the licensed person, if they are law abiding would take great care in acting within the law...

[Time]

there lies the crux of the problems affecing jamaica... politicians are trying to seek protection for a certain segment of the society because of their inherent thought that some people are more privileged...

if a licensed firearm holder knows the laws and there is no way around the law the licensed person, if they are law abiding would take great care in acting within the law...

Rubbish, Rubbish, Rubbish, a licence firearm holder is at a severe disadvantage compared to a gunman because in most situation the license holder cannot legally pull the licensed weapon to ward off a threat in a public space. If the license holdeer pulls the weapon before the threat becomes an attack then he or she is liable to be charged with illegal possesion of a firearm!

[Gamma]

nonsense!!! utter rubbish. a licence firearm holder IS a gunman, he is a legal gunman. does that mean that a licence firearm holder cannot commit a crime with his licence firearm? more rubbish! if he does then he is subject to the appropriate penalty.

[Mosiah]

wow! look at that! and i thought there was no need to debate the crime bills. some of us want to just send them thru without considering the implications.

strange!

[Gamma]

you chatting nonsense now, where did ANYONE say that it was not worthy of debate?

it is IMPATIENT of debate, hopefully well thought out contributions.

[Mosiah]

sorry! maybe it was just me! my baaad!

[Muadib]

yuh move from yapping to bleating...

[Mosiah]

yuh move from yapping to bleating...

don't worry, i will no longer do that. i know how you are with sheep!

[Baddaz]

time, liable to be charged is not the same as being charged... further, if a legal firearm holder violates the law, i.e. uses his legal firearm in the commission of a crime or outside of the law governing the use of his firearm, then he should face similar charges as the illegal firearm holder... i see nothing with that...

[Gamma]

yikes.

[Time]

time, liable to be charged is not the same as being charged... further, if a legal firearm holder violates the law, i.e. uses his legal firearm in the commission of a crime or outside of the law governing the use of his firearm, then he should face similar charges as the illegal firearm holder... i see nothing with that...

What, you need a known badman coming towards you and you pull your weapon and hold it by your side the same man report you to the police and you get charge illegal possession of firearm??

You are in a car accident and man rush you and you pull your weapon and same man report you to the police and you get charge will illegal possession of firearm?


With respect to the charge of illegal possesion of a firearm, there is no disctinction between a license firearm holder holding a licensed firearm and a gunman holding an illegal firearm.

The way the firearm act is interpreted, just about any breach is interprested as illegal possesion of a firearm. If fact even police are charged with illegal possesion of firearm despite the fact that act exempts them from the act and the only persons for which it specifies limited exemptions are member of the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force.

[Mosiah]

i think you have a good point!

[Baddaz]

time, you are reaching... none of what you describe would constitute a braech of the existing law... regarding policemen and illegal possession, that is if the policeman discharges in public without just cause or is in possession of a weapon or ammunition to which he was not legally registered to carry or have in his possession...