Government of Jamaica
Constitutional Reform will not Abolish Role of Justices of the Peace
Kingston, Jamaica. The Minister of Justice, the Hon. Delroy Chuck, recently confirmed that despite the impending amendments following the completion of the Jamaican Constitutional Reform process, the role of Justices of the Peace (JPs) will remain substantially unchanged.
Minister Chuck, was addressing concerns at a virtual JP sensitization session, held June 21, themed Jamaica: Road to Republic with the Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs. He indicated that while there may be a tweaking of the framework, the substantive duties of JPs will remain. “JPs even under a Republic will remain, similar to what exists in the islands of Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. Justices of the Peace need not worry that their role will vary much from what it currently is,” stated Minister Chuck.
Guest speaker at the virtual session, Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Marlene Malahoo Forte, also addressed concerns surrounding the roles of JPs within a Republic. “Minister Chuck has been building out a comprehensive framework for the role of Justices of the Peace. When Jamaica’s Head of State changes from Monarch to President, some consequential changes will happen, but I do believe we will still have a place for the Head of State to be represented through Custodes and then for Justices down the line,” stated Minister Forte.
She added “I have no reason to believe that the role of Justices of the Peace will be minimized. In fact, Minister Chuck is very passionate about what more JPs can do to help to make progress on the challenges that we face in society.”
While details of the constitutional reform exercise are not yet available, Minister Malahoo Forte indicated that the change will enforce the effectiveness of JPs in promoting peace and order across Jamaica.
Currently, there are over 10,000 serving JPs across the island - 829 of which were commissioned across 11 parishes in the last financial year. The Ministry of Justice aims to appoint an additional 900 JPs in the current financial year, to provide service specifically to rural and underserved communities.
