KINGSTON, Jamaica – Individuals who have been charged with criminal offences and cannot afford legal representation are being advised to contact the Legal Aid Council (LAC).

Executive Director of the LAC, Dian Watson, said individuals who have been arrested or detained can access the duty counsel service free of charge.

“It is really a lawyer on duty who will go and help someone who is arrested and is in custody, needs assistance and cannot afford to retain a lawyer of their own,” she explained.

“The duty counsel is able to go there and give the person advice and assist them with an identification (ID) parade and question-and-answer session.”

Watson noted that under the law, the police have a duty to call the LAC if someone is in custody and needs an attorney. All police stations have a list of duty counsels provided by the LAC.

“We have an excellent panel of attorneys who are drawn from their own private practice around the island and they sign up to assist persons. It is free to the persons benefiting from the service, but the attorneys are paid a stipend by the Ministry of Justice,” she pointed out.

Watson said that whatever individuals need to advance their defence will also be provided through the LAC.

“In terms of scope, we do criminal matters for representation in court. If the matter is complex, we will assign more than one attorney to assist you. If you need DNA evidence or any expert psychiatric evaluation, the attorneys will write to the LAC, and we will provide that as well,” she noted further.

Watson said the LAC provides information and advice on any legal matter.

“We have a very good mobile service. The LAC travels around the island, where we give legal advice and information to people who require it,” she said.

She noted that currently, the council does not represent people in civil matters “but we are working on that”.

To contact the LAC, individuals can call (876) 948-6999.

– JIS