House amends Jury Amendment Act to address jury tampering

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Jury (Amendment) (No 2) Act 2026, to address concerns surrounding jury tampering.

It was passed with five amendments after members of the parliamentary Opposition raised several concerns.

The Bill was piloted by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Delroy Chuck, who, in opening the debate, stressed it was intended to strengthen measures to address jury tampering. He said the aim of the amendments was to empower judges in cases where jury tampering is suspected or detected, t o discharge a jury and continue the trial without one, or alternatively, terminate the proceedings and order a retrial.