Jamaican Defence Lawyers Withdraw Court Services Over Firearms Act Sentencing Rules

In this opinion piece, Jamaican Bar Association president Tenneshia T Watkins argues that Jamaica’s Firearms Act should be refined, not weakened, because mandatory minimum sentences can produce unfair results, especially for children and people found with imitation firearms. She says clearer rules could still support tough gun control while improving plea bargaining, court efficiency and proportional sentencing.

Police investigators failed to bring murder accused Reo Rochester to the Trelawny Parish Court for a scheduled committal hearing, despite a court order, his attorney Donnovan Collins said. Collins said it was the second time police had ignored a judge’s directive, forcing the hearing to be adjourned in the case linked to the 2022 killing of Rumish Orlando Johnson in Albert Town.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck and Opposition Leader Mark Golding clashed in Parliament over whether the 2022 Firearms Act is affecting guilty pleas, Gun Court backlogs and sentencing data. Golding said the ministry should already be tracking the law’s impact, while Chuck said the cases take years to finish and the needed comparisons have not yet been completed. The dispute comes as the Government prepares to review the law after defence lawyers protested for changes.

A former gangster in Jamaica is urging lawmakers to review the mandatory 15-year sentence for illegal firearm possession, saying judges should be able to consider whether young offenders can be rehabilitated. His call follows a Jamaica Bar Association warning that the law removes needed judicial discretion, echoed by defence attorneys’ silent protest in downtown Kingston.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered a legal reform committee review of concerns about Jamaica’s Firearms Act, including fears that children with toy or imitation guns could be unfairly treated. The review will look at refining the law while keeping it strong against illegal guns and violent crime, after talks with the Jamaica Bar Association and Advocates Association.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says the Government will soon review Jamaica’s Firearms Act to consider more judicial discretion and plea bargain options, amid complaints from lawyers and the Bar Association about its mandatory 15-year minimum sentence. The legal fraternity has protested the law over concerns about sentencing, children and imitation firearms, while the Government says tougher penalties must remain.

A man detained since last Monday was released on bail after attorney Michael Jordan told the court he had been charged with unlawful possession of property even though the vehicle owner had given him permission to drive the car. The case also raised concerns about how police choose charges and how long suspects can be held before court.

Two defence lawyers continued representing murder accused Andre Ruddock in his part-heard trial on Monday, saying they had their client’s written permission to do so despite a wider legal protest over Jamaica’s firearms law. The case concerns the 2021 killing of Taneka Gardner at Kevin Smith’s Pathways church in St James, where a police sergeant described a chaotic, violent scene as the trial continued.

Defence lawyers in Jamaica will withdraw services from all criminal courts on Monday in protest over mandatory minimum sentences under the Firearms Act, then limit the action to Gun Courts on Tuesday. The Bar Association and Advocates’ Association say the law removes judicial discretion and may worsen court backlogs, while the Government says amendments are being considered.

Fi We Children Foundation is urging changes to Jamaica’s Firearms Act to remove mandatory minimum sentences, warning they can punish children too harshly and leave judges unable to weigh age, vulnerability and adult influence in firearm cases. The call comes as defence lawyers prepare a week-long court boycott over the same issue, while the Government says the law is under review.

Jamaica’s defence attorneys will withdraw legal services from criminal courts islandwide on Monday, with another targeted walkout at Gun Courts on Tuesday, after talks with the Justice Ministry failed to resolve disputes over mandatory minimum sentences in the Firearms Prohibition Restriction and Regulation Act 2022. The bar groups say the law weakens judicial discretion and plea bargaining, and want urgent amendments.

Government Senator Christian Tavares-Finson is urging caution over any major changes to Jamaica’s Firearms Act, saying the 2022 law appears to have helped reduce gun crimes and serious gun cases. He backs the mandatory 15-year minimum sentence for illegal firearm possession or using a gun in a crime, arguing Jamaica should not weaken a measure that has coincided with lower murders.

Jamaica’s Advocates’ Association says attorneys will withdraw from courtrooms islandwide starting Monday to press for amendments to the 2022 Firearms Act. President Tamika Harris said talks with Justice Minister Delroy Chuck produced no commitments, and the group wants more judicial discretion, plea deals and exceptions to mandatory sentences. Harris said the protest is not a bid to weaken gun laws.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck defended Jamaica’s Firearms Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation Act, saying mandatory sentences are needed to protect victims and keep gunmen off the streets. His remarks came as defence lawyers renewed calls to review the law’s limits on judicial discretion, and threatened a week-long withdrawal from the courts starting Monday.

Government Senator Abka Fitz-Henley has defended Jamaica’s 2022 Firearms Act and its 15-year mandatory minimum sentence, saying any rollback would weaken efforts to curb gun crime and murder. His comments followed a silent protest by defence lawyers outside the Supreme Court over the law, which they say strips judges of sentencing discretion. Fitz-Henley cited court data he said show fewer new gun cases and sharp declines in murders since the amendments.

Government Senator Abka Fitz-Henley is urging Jamaica not to weaken the 2022 Firearms Act, warning that removing the mandatory 15-year minimum for certain gun crimes would undermine its impact. He says court data show new Gun Court cases have fallen since the law took effect, alongside a sharp drop in murders, and argues the government should keep the tougher penalties in place.

Defence lawyers plan to withdraw services from Jamaica’s criminal courts from Monday to Friday unless the Government addresses mandatory minimum sentences in the firearms law. After meeting Justice Minister Delroy Chuck, bar leaders said no timeline was given for amendments, and they want judges restored discretion in gun and imitation-firearm cases.

Defence attorneys in Jamaica plan to withdraw their services from the island’s courts for a week starting Monday after talks with Justice Minister Delroy Chuck failed to produce a timeline for reforming the 2022 Firearms Act. Lawyers say the law’s mandatory sentences and limits on judicial discretion are unfair and are straining the criminal justice system. The move will disrupt the new Michaelmas term and intensify pressure on the Government to amend the law.

Defence attorneys and Justice Minister Delroy Chuck agreed to work on joint proposals to amend Jamaica’s Firearms Act, with submissions due early next week, after concerns over mandatory 15-year sentences for some firearm offences. Lawyers say the current law limits judges’ discretion and could lead to unlawful arrests and convictions if not clarified.