Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • International
      • #
    • Business
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • International
      • #
    • Business
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
  • Latest
  • Business
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • All Woman
  • Career & Education
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Classifieds
  • Design Week
Joint select committee to review Child Care and Protection Act
Minister of Education and Youth, Fayval Williams.
Latest News
BY ALECIA SMITH Senior staff reporter smitha@jamaicaobserver  
April 19, 2023

Joint select committee to review Child Care and Protection Act

After years of calls from both sides of the political divide and civil society groups, for the Child Care and Protection Act to be overhauled, the Government on Wednesday named a joint select committee of Parliament to review the Bill along with two other crucial pieces of legislation.

Education and Youth Minister Fayval Williams had indicated in a statement to Parliament in July 2021 that the Bill was being actively reviewed to address new and emerging issues and to ensure harmonisation with other pieces of legislation concerning children.

“The process is advanced, as a draft Cabinet Submission has been developed to seek approval for the recommendations that were made in the report of the Joint Select Committee of the Houses of Parliament,” Williams said at the time.

That report was tabled in the House of Representatives in December, 2018 by Minister of Justice, Delroy Chuck.

Williams said the ministry sought to accelerate the pace of the revision of Section 24 of the Act by pulling out this section for advancement, ahead of the revision of the entire Act.

“Upon revision, no child not charged with an offence will end up in a penal institution. The use of the terms ‘uncontrollable’, ‘beyond control’ and ‘out of control’ will be abolished in describing children with behavioural issues, to be replaced by modern defined terminology to capture the range of behaviour exhibited by children,” she said at the time.

In February last year, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and its partners Stand Up For Jamaica and Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network had called on the Houses of Parliament to urgently amend the Child Care and Protection Act.

“The time has come for the Government to decisively put an end to the long history of State-sanctioned violence against children, which tends to disproportionately affect those from poor socio-economic backgrounds” the groups said in a statement.

The groups said that for years, they have vocalised concerns regarding the gaps in the legislation that allow for children, without crime, who are deemed “uncontrollable”, to be ‘jailed’ at juvenile correctional centres.

“For those with criminal convictions, the punitive measures, in most instances, are far too harsh and are not proportional to the offence committed, the child’s age, and the ability for reform. We maintain that the legislative provisions that facilitate these conditions are unconstitutional and must be repealed,” the groups said.

They suggested that legislators repeal provisions relating to children “beyond parental control”; remove the possibility of incarcerating children in adult institutions; and remove the possibility for imprisonment of children for life or excessively long periods.

Meanwhile, the other two Bills slated for review are the Criminal Justice (Administration) (Amendment) Act and the Offences Against the Person (Amendment) Act, which will serve to impose stricter penalties for murder,

Minister Chuck tabled the Bills in the House of Representatives in February this year. He had said then that the proposed amendments to the Child Care and Protection Act, are generally in line with the objective of these two Bills.

In his presentation while tabling the Bills simultaneously, Chuck explained that increased mandatory minimums for murder will provide greater alignment between the sentencing regimes governing serious crimes and the public’s expectations of the justice system.

“The possibility of the imposition of a more punitive sentence will go a long way in preserving the credibility of Jamaica’s justice system in the eyes of individuals traumatised by the untimely death of their loved ones,” the minister said then.

Turning to the specific proposals of the Criminal Justice (Administration) (Amendment) Bill, Chuck said it seeks to amend Section 42(F) of the Criminal Justice (Administration) Act by increasing the term of years to be deemed as “life imprisonment” from 30 years to 50 years where the offence committed is murder.

“The starting point for calculating the reduction in the sentence is usually life imprisonment and the aim of this proposed amendment is to maintain an incentive scheme for defendants to plead guilty while ensuring that the reduced sentence is not inordinately low having regard to the serious nature of the offence,” he said.

Chuck said this is in tandem with this reasoning that it is also proposed that Section 42(E)(3) of the Criminal Justice (Administration) Act be amended to stipulate that the Court shall not impose a sentence that is less than a term of 30 years.

In terms of the Offences Against The Person (Amendment) Bill, it proposes that in Section 3(1)(b) the proposed amendment is to increase the mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment from 15 to 45 years.

In Section 3(1C), which deals with eligibility of parole for capital murder, the proposal is to increase the mandatory minimum sentence to be served before being eligible for parole from 20 years to 50 years.

Minister Chuck said for non-capital murder, where the sentence given is life imprisonment, the proposal is to increase the mandatory minimum sentence to be served before being eligible for parole from 15 years to 40 years.

He said where the sentence given was a term of years, it is proposed to increase the mandatory minimum sentence to be served before being eligible for parole from 10 to 35 years.

The committee members appointed from the Lower House comprise Justice Minister Delroy Chuck; Education and Youth Minister, Faval Williams; Opposition spokesperson on education and training, Dr Angela Brown-Burke; Government Members of Parliament, Kerensia Morrison, Donovan Williams and Tamika Davis; and Opposition MP Denise Daley. They will sit jointly with members to be selected from the Upper House.

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

US and China have ‘positive’ meeting at ASEAN foreign minister talks
International News, Latest News
US and China have ‘positive’ meeting at ASEAN foreign minister talks
July 11, 2025
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP)-US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a 'positive' meeting in Malaysia on Friday, both s...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Chaotic protest in California as agents conduct immigration raid
International News, Latest News
Chaotic protest in California as agents conduct immigration raid
July 11, 2025
Camarillo, United States (AFP)-Protesters clashed with US immigration agents conducting a raid at a legal cannabis farm in California, with the FBI sa...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Westmoreland carpenter charged after 2023 chopping
Latest News, News
Westmoreland carpenter charged after 2023 chopping
July 10, 2025
WESTMORELAND, Jamaica – A 33-year-old carpenter, has been charged after allegedly chopping a man from his community in 2023. Kerick Green, otherwise k...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
American Airlines to add more Jamaica Flights, St Mary & Kingston benefit
Latest News, News
American Airlines to add more Jamaica Flights, St Mary & Kingston benefit
July 10, 2025
KINGSTON, Jamaica – American Airlines will markedly increase flight capacity on several Jamaica - US routes starting December 18 . The airline is to i...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Swiatek surprised by surge to Wimbledon final
Latest News, Sports
Swiatek surprised by surge to Wimbledon final
July 10, 2025
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) -- Iga Swiatek says she is surprised by her run to the Wimbledon final after dispatching former Olympic champion Belinda ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Slovakia festival hosting Kanye West cancelled after ‘Heil Hitler’ furore
Entertainment, International News, Latest News
Slovakia festival hosting Kanye West cancelled after ‘Heil Hitler’ furore
July 10, 2025
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AFP) — The Slovakia festival due to welcome Kanye West next week has called off the event following the uproar over the United S...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Sabalenka criticises Anisimova behaviour after shock Wimbledon exit
Latest News, Sports
Sabalenka criticises Anisimova behaviour after shock Wimbledon exit
July 10, 2025
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) -- Aryna Sabalenka took a swipe at Amanda Anisimova over her behaviour during the American's stunning Wimbledon semi-fina...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Released pro-Palestinian protest leader sues Trump for $20 million
International News, Latest News
Released pro-Palestinian protest leader sues Trump for $20 million
July 10, 2025
NEWY YORK, United States (AFP) — Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent leaders of United States (US) pro-Palestinian campus protests, sued the Tru...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct