THE Jury Act is to be amended to allow for a long-awaited increase in the stipend paid to Jamaicans called to jury duty.

The amendment Bill also proposes that a stipend be paid to those who participate in the jury selection process.

The increase being sought will see the daily stipend moved from $2,000 per day to $6,000, an increase of 300 per cent; while $2,000 per day will be paid to those participating in the selection process.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck tabled the amendments in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The increase will be welcomed by Jamaicans who have long complained that the amount being paid was not enough to cover the cost of transportation and lunch. It is hoped that the increase will result in more people being willing to serve as jurors, even amid talk of a phasing out of jury trials in favour of bench trials, a position Chief Justice Bryan Sykes has said he supports.

“We felt it necessary to go even further than this to account for persons who are called to jury duty but who are not selected,” said Chuck in a ministerial statement. “With the proposal in the Bill, these individuals will now be paid $2,000 for each day that they appear before the court to participate in the jury selection process.”

He explained that the deliberations regarding the proposed increase “took into consideration the recognition of the vital role that jurors play in the administration of justice, and the personal sacrifice involved in answering the call to serve”.

“While the adjustment is modest, it reflects an acknowledgement of the financial burden that jury duty can impose on ordinary citizens who set aside their important daily responsibilities to fulfil this important civic obligation,” he added.

Chuck told the House that the Government remains deeply appreciative of those who respond to the call for jury duty, recognising their service as a cornerstone of a fair and democratic justice system. He said the Government “warmly welcomes the continued commitment to civic responsibility in the national interest”.

He expressed hope that the increase in the stipend paid to jurors and the introduction of a stipend for participating in the jury selection process will offset some expenses incurred by those Jamaicans who step forward to serve.

The justice minister, who had promised the increase for some time, said the delay in presenting the amendment to the relevant legislation was due to many factors.

“We felt the need to undertake the necessary diligence and assessment to ensure that the increase being proposed was appropriate,” Chuck said.