Churches, community groups and other

organisations are being encouraged to request the services of the Legal Aid

Council (LAC) Mobile Justice Units.

Persons can reserve the units by accessing,

completing and submitting requisition forms available at the LAC’s website at

legalaidcouncil.moj.gov.jm.

Executive Director of the LAC in the

Ministry of Justice, Hugh Faulkner, said that on the form, applicants are

required to provide information about the organisation or community group with

which they are affiliated.

“They can also provide other contact

officers and recommended dates, as some groups may have annual activities,” he

noted.

Other requirements on the form include

email address, telephone number, parish and venue of event, time of event and

nearest police station.

Requests must be made at least eight weeks

ahead of the event to allow the LAC sufficient time for planning. Organisations

are expected to acquire the requisite permits and licences from the relevant

municipal bodies.

Faulkner said applicants are asked to

provide an estimate of the number of patrons that may attend, which will better

enable the LAC to determine how many lawyers and buses to make available.

Meanwhile, the Mobile Justice Unit

facilitated more than 300 persons at an expungement fair held in Montego Bay

last Friday (February 21).

Faulkner said that all three units were

present at the event. “Ninety-nine per cent of the participants came to address

matters relating to expungement and one per cent came to apply for relisting.

“In those cases (relisting), persons would

have had cases in the courts years before and the court adjourned the matter

without a date. For those persons, the matter is against their name but the

service they require is not expungement; it is an application to relist,” he

explained.