KINGSTON, Jamaica — Attorney General Marlene Malahoo Forte has indicated that the Government will be seeking to amend the Bail Act this year.

“So, Mr Speaker, we are going to touch the Bail Act, again,” the Attorney General informed the House of Representatives, as she made her contribution to the Sectoral Debate at Gordon House.

“We are going to touch the Criminal Justice (Administration) Act, the Jury Act, the Criminal Justice (Plea Negotiations and Agreement) Act, the Firearms Act, the Offences Against the Person Act, to name a few,” Malahoo Forte said.

“We are going to make some radical changes. Right now the sentiment is one of ‘no bail for murder, unless self defence arises on the Crown’s case and the likelihood of acquittal is high,” she stated.

“We are thinking of abolishing jury trials for murder and go ‘judge alone’. Away with the unsworn statement from the dock. It is unthinkable that “this vestigial tail continues to wag in Jamaica, further promoting a culture of impunity,” she said.

“In with ‘notice of alibi’. We must settle the crown’s right to appeal. We will have to set up a special track to try murder, taking into account the realities surrounding the scheduling of cases in the courts.” she added.

“These are no ordinary times. May God grant us the wisdom to discover the right, they will choose it and the strength to make it endure,” Malahoo Forte concluded.

Balford Henry