Supreme Court introduces sentence-reduction days for Circuit and Gun courts
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Supreme Court as part of the Criminal Case Management Programme is introducing an initiative tagged “Sentence Reduction Days.”
According to a release from the Ministry of Justice the initiative is aimed at providing opportunities for accused people who are guilty and wish to plead guilty on specific days where significant discounts in sentences would be granted.It will also assist in reducing the significant inventory of cases before the Circuit Courts. The first such day is scheduled for May 22, 2017 and applies to all accused people, in custody or on bail, who have their cases before the Home Circuit courts and the Corporate Area Gun Court.An accused person, who wishes to avail himself/herself of this measure, must notify the Home Circuit Criminal Registry or the Gun Court Registry in writing on or before May 15 to benefit from this initiative, the ministry said.All accused individuals entering a guilty plea on this date will be treated as if they had pleaded guilty on the first relevant date they were brought before the courts.The Legal Aid Council will provide representation for any accused person who does not have an attorney-at-law previously assigned to represent them, the ministry added.