LAST week, United States lawmakers called for the extradition of Jamaican lottery scammers, a demand that has elicited a strong reaction from many Jamaicans. Yesterday, the Sunday Observer canvassed some of these persons:

Dane Anderson

"I think they should be extradited once the full brunt of the law will be meted out to them fairly, and they're given all opportunity to say whether they are innocent or guilty. Once they are guilty, and this is a matter that they can be extradited on, then yes, I think we should extradite them. The crimes are actually being committed in the States, because it is people there who are suffering, so I think it will be a good thing as long as they will be dealt with fairly."

Dahlia Johnson

"I think they should be extradited, and if the law doesn't allow for them to be extradited, I think that the law should be amended to facilitate that. The magnitude of the crime is not felt in Jamaica per se, although our reputation is being affected now, but this lottery scam situation is blowing out of control now, and I don't think that our justice system has the balls or the teeth to deal with it. I don't think the Americans are greedy, it's in their culture for them to win sweepstakes, and they literally don't have to enter anything to win... the limit."

St Leager Baxter

"I don't know if the system that is set up in the US is going to ensure that both the process of extraditing them is fair and reasonable, and also if when they are extradited to the next state they are going to be tried fairly and reasonably. I don't really have a problem with them being extradited as long as it will be done fairly and it gives them an opportunity to defend themselves adequately. As long as they provide them with the avenues to present themselves in a complete way; both in the process of extradition and the process of the trial when they are extradited. But the fact that I don't know how fair those systems are, then I am not going to say outright that they must be extradited."

Trudi Wynter

"The lottery scam has been going on for some time now, and I really think that something needs to be done about it. I don't think all is being done so far in Jamaica to really address the situation. I have never really thought about if they should be extradited, but I know that some justice needs to be served, and in that case, why not extradite them?"

Beverley Wynter

"I don't think they should be extradited because is here dem do the crime. So I just feel like the right thing is for them to stay and face the court here. I don't think they will get the same justice in the US as they would get here. The US is going to be harder on them because they are Jamaicans, and you know that the US don't play with Jamaicans. If Jamaica don't have the laws to deal with them, we have to find them, but dem cannot send them over there."

Sheirlett Robinson

"I feel that they should stay out here and get a fair trial out here. It don't make sense they extradite dem, send dem go USA, because USA a go hard pon Jamaicans. Same way like how they do the lottery scam out here I think we should make the laws here to deal with them. We don't want the USA to come out here and say that they are doing anything out here because they are only going to go harder on Jamaican people dem, and dem already a go well hard."

Gina Thompson

"If they get tried out here it is going to take forever, and it looks like the US wants to get this thing over and done with. We would probably get justice sooner if they were extradited than if they were tried here. Usually, in the United States they depend heavily on evidence when it comes to electronic fraud, so I think that for their own reputation they will make sure that there is enough evidence before it reaches the point to convict somebody. So I don't think that the race or nationality will affect the trials. I think that the Government should extradite them to the US."

Alphonso Taylor

"There will be better justice for them if dem extradite them. I think things will work out for them better, they will receive better treatment, better justice if dem go foreign. Because things are hard out here, so if dem can find a way to make it easier on dem and give dem something to do, that they don't touch that area again, then I think they should go. I think they will get a fair trial in the US."