Juror shortage may close courts
November 30, 2006
A developing threat that many of the nation's courts could be closed next year because of the shortage of jurors has led two senior police officers to call for legislation allowing jurors to be selected by means of the Taxpayer Registration Number (TRN).
The suggestion came from Senior Superintendent Kenneth Fairclough and Inspector Keith Brown who turned up at the Home Circuit Court in response to reports that several murder cases had to be adjourned on Monday because of insufficient jurors.
Andrejs Berzins Q.C., from the Canadian Bar Association, who is one of the consultants for the task force for the comprehensive reform of the Jamaican justice system, was in court yesterday to observe the proceedings and make the relevant recommendations.
Among the problems the policemen said their department faced was a shortage of motor vehicles and manpower to serve summons.
They said that, at present, the jury list was taken from the voters' list for 2002 which was outdated. Requests were made for an up-to-date voter's list. However, that is not yet available according to the police.
TRN would be more effective
The policemen explained to Justice Norma McIntosh that when the police go to serve summonses, they were informed that potential jurors had moved from the addresses or were dead. They were of the view that the TRN would be more effective.
The judge said the suggestion in relation to the TRN being used instead of the voters' list was an interesting one and should be discussed among the stakeholders in the justice system. The judge warned that the issues outlined were serious problems which needed to be addressed on a wide level. Otherwise, the justice system was "going to come to a grinding halt".
The judge stressed that, without the jurors, the courts would not be able to operate. She disclosed that, in one of the parishes, a murder case had to be traversed five times because of the shortage of jurors.
Paula Llewelyn, senior deputy director of public prosecutions, said there was also lethargy on the part of some jurors who were not committed to their civic responsibilities.
Author: Barbara Gayle
Source: Jamaica Gleaner
