KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Senate on Friday began debate on the Jury Amendment Act, which seeks to address the continuing problem of a shortage of jurors to serve the Circuit Courts, which has been contributing significantly to the delays in the disposal of criminal cases.

Piloted by minister of justice, Senator Mark Golding, the Bill aims to improve efficiency of the administration of the criminal justice system in the island.

It also seeks to amend the Jury Act to provide for: the production of an expanded list of potential jurors from a combination of the voters’ list and the list of persons with Tax Registration Numbers (TRN) issued under the Revenue Administration Act; and an array of seven jurors for all jury trials other than for treason or murder where (on conviction) the death penalty may be imposed.

Golding said the legislation, which is a critical part of the justice reform programme, will tackle issues hampering the effective functioning of the island’s jury system.

“Some of the important changes seek to firstly, reduce the number of jurors needed to try certain cases to put them on par with other offences that carry the same potential penalty,” he said.

He noted that over the years, the jury system in the island has been plagued by a number of problems not least of which, is the fact that the pool of qualified persons from which jurors are drawn, has diminished considerably.

“The jury is an important component of our criminal justice system. It is recognised that the problems with the jury system, if not addressed, will continue to negatively impact efforts being made to improve the justice system in other respects and undermine the entire system,” he said.