Jess calls for judicial discretion amid Govt’s proposed 20-year minimum gun sentence

Opposition Spokesperson on Justice, Zuleika Jess, has expressed strong reservations about the National Security Council’s recommendation to increase the mandatory minimum sentence for illegal possession of firearms from 15 years to 20 years, arguing that the proposal was made “without adequately addressing the legislation’s flaws.”

While reaffirming the Opposition’s commitment to removing illegal firearms from Jamaica’s streets and aggressively dismantling criminal enterprises, Jess warned that the government’s approach relies heavily on public relations headlines rather than operational logic.

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In a release, she said the Opposition is formally calling for the inclusion of an “exceptional circumstances clause” within the law, which would restore judicial discretion and empower judges to consider mitigating factors and the peculiar circumstances of each individual case.