Attorney-at-Law Bert Samuels
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Bert Samuels and Kadeish Jarett Fletcher, the acting director of Client Services, Communication and Information at the Court Administration Jamaica
By Halshane Burke
Attorney-at-Law Bert Samuels has joined the call for the jury pool to be widened.
Speaking Monday at the opening of the Hilary Session of the Home Circuit Court, Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn said the pool should be widened to eliminate the problem of a lack of jurors to try cases.
Mr. Samuels says the Jury Act needs to be amended to include people now excluded from the list of those who can serve.
He also suggested that the Taxpayer Registration Number (TRN) list be used to select jurors instead of the Voters' List, since many people "do not want to be enumerated" because of the "political apathy that is now in Jamaica".
Mr. Samuels, who was speaking Tuesday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106, has strongly opposed calls for more judge-only trials.
He said the jury system is a necessary component of the delivery of justice, adding that jurors bring diverse experiences, and together, they are superior to the wisdom of any single judge.
The attorney complained about "unfortunate comments" from "high quarters in the justice system" that have called for judge-only trials.
His complaint seemed to hint at Chief Justice Bryan Sykes, who has openly called for trials by a judge alone.
CAD
In response to suggestions that the TRN list be used for the selection of jurors, the Court Administration Division (CAD) has sought to assure that the list of taxpayers is being used in tandem with the Voters' List.
Speaking with Radio Jamaica News on Monday, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck suggested that perhaps only the Voters' List was being used to select potential jurors.
But Kadeish Jarett Fletcher, the acting director of Client Services, Communication and Information, said the courts have been using both lists, further to the Jury (Amendment) Act of 2015.
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