Jamaica’s Chief Justice Bryan Sykes has asserted that the proposed stringent laws at present into account in Parliament, geared toward people concerned in felony actions, is inadequate to handle the nation’s urgent crime points.
This assertion comes within the wake of Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ announcement relating to the forthcoming implementation of harsher penalties for homicide and different violent offenses.
The restrictions of harsher penalties
Chief Justice Sykes, talking on the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Banquet held not too long ago articulated a sobering perspective.
Opposite to the prevailing sentiment favoring harder sentences, he argued that the imposition of harsher penalties alone wouldn’t resolve the disaster at hand.
Jamaica’s alarming conviction charges
A big revelation made by Chief Justice Sykes was the dismal state of Jamaica’s conviction charges.
He identified that Jamaica at present boasts one of many lowest conviction charges inside the area, with lower than 30 per cent of accused people securing convictions by both a jury trial or the judgment of a single presiding choose.
He stated that an appropriate conviction price is 60 to 80 per cent.