Justice Minister Delroy Chuck on Tuesday opened debate on the Jury (Amendment) Bill, 2026 that will result in the stipend paid to jurors increased from $2,000 to $6,000 daily.

The amendments will also result in a $2,000 per day stipend introduced for people who participate in the jury selection process and seek to empower judges to dismiss a jury in the event of jury-tampering.

“This Bill seeks to modernise and strengthen the jury system in Jamaica, improve the efficient management of criminal and civil trials, and safeguard the administration of justice in circumstances where jury tampering poses a real and present threat,” Chuck said as he opened the debate.

He emphasised that the use of trial by jury remains a cornerstone of Jamaica’s justice system.

“However, the system must also be responsive and capable of addressing contemporary challenges, particularly those relating to delays, inefficiencies, and threats to the integrity of jury trials. This Bill, therefore, introduces carefully balanced reforms which preserve the central role of the jury, while providing the courts with necessary tools to ensure that justice is done,” the minister added.

In a clause-by-clause summation of the Bill, Chuck noted that clause 3 inserts a new subsection (6) into section 2, providing a detailed statutory definition of a trial readiness hearing. This provision outlines the matters a judge must consider in confirming a trial date, including: the status of disclosure, witness availability, readiness of the parties, estimated trial length, and whether any issues remain that may affect the scheduled trial date.

Clause seven replaces section 37 and clarifies the method of payment in civil jury trials. It provides that the party who applies for a jury trial must pay the required monies into court; and the court is responsible for paying jurors and other entitled individuals. It also clarifies that the costs associated with special juries are to be treated as costs in the case.

Chuck said clause 9 introduces a new subheading into the principal Act to signal the “introduction of a carefully circumscribed regime for trials without a jury”. He said clause 10, with its new sections 42(A) to 42(D), “is the most significant reform contained in this Bill”.

Section 42(A) permits the prosecution, before trial, to apply for a trial to be conducted without a jury where there is evidence of a real and present danger of jury tampering.

“Importantly, the judge must be satisfied that jury tampering is likely, notwithstanding protective measures, and the decision must be necessary in the interest of justice,” said Chuck.

Pointing to section 42(D), he emphasised that “a judge will be empowered, where it is in the interest of justice, to discharge a jury during a trial, if jury tampering has occurred, and to continue trial without a jury, after hearing representations from the parties”.

Under section 42(C) the judge is allowed to terminate a trial and order a new trial where justice requires, and, where appropriate, to order that the new trial proceed without a jury. Where a trial proceeds without a jury, the court retains all the powers and jurisdiction it would otherwise have, and must give reasoned judgments on conviction or acquittal.

“These provisions strike a careful balance between safeguarding the jury system and ensuring that criminal trials are not derailed by intimidation or corruption,” Chuck said.

He told the House that the Bill strengthens the integrity of the jury system, improves efficiency, enhances fairness to jurors, and equips the courts to respond decisively to jury tampering.

“It reflects a careful and proportionate approach to modernising our justice system,” he said.