Justice Minister Delroy Chuck - file photo
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Delroy Chuck
Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has agreed with Chief Justice Bryan Sykes that harsher penalties do not result in more convictions.
But, Mr. Chuck says it will help to lock away criminals for a long time so they are no longer able to wreak havoc on communities.
"One has to see this as not a single issue, but as many issues to be addressed. And certainly penalties are one that the society demands that heartless criminals, violent offenders, should be punished severely," he asserted.
With capital murder, for instance, the minister said the sentence is either death or life imprisonment without parole. But if a determinate sentence is to be imposed, it cannot be less than 50 years.
Mr. Chuck was a guest Wednesday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106FM.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared that harsher penalties for murder and other violent crimes will be introduced in the coming months.
Speaking on Saturday at the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce's Annual Banquet, Chief Justice Sykes said Jamaica has one of the lowest conviction rates in the region.
He said less than 30 per cent of accused persons are convicted, either by a jury or a single judge hearing their case.
The Chief Justice said an acceptable conviction rate would be 60 to 80 per cent.
The Justice Minister has admitted that improvements need to be made to the criminal justice system to increase the conviction rate.
Mr. Chuck added that there should be fewer delays in court proceedings to ensure timely disposal of matters.
The Justice Minister said whenever there are protracted delays, witnesses become frustrated and lose interest in the process because they have to be turning up to court too often without matters being tried.
Mr. Chuck suggested that if the forensic lab processes certificates in a timely manner, perhaps between four to six months, this would allow trial dates to be set.
But he acknowledged that the forensic lab is currently short-staffed which would not make this desired time period possible.
The minister also noted that the police must improve their investigative capacity, and more citizens need to contribute to the fight against crime to increase the conviction rate.
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