KINGSTON, Jamaica — The question of whether the pending increase in the stipend paid to jurors will result in some of them becoming professional jurors was raised in the House of Representatives on Tuesday when lawmakers commenced debate on the Jury (Amendment) Act 2026.

With the daily stipend set to move to $6,000 per day from the current $2,000 once the Parliament approves, a senior lawmaker noted that, based on the proposed amendments, jurors are in fact being compensated for their time.

The amendments, which were piloted by Justice Minister Delroy Chuck will also see anyone called for jury duty but not empanelled or selected to serve, paid $2,000 per day for each day they are in attendance.

During her contribution to the debate, Member of Parliament for St James West Central, Marlene Malahoo Forte said, “I do not believe that there’s any divide [between Government and Opposition members] on the timeliness of this proposed increase”.

“Everyone who has spoken so far has indicated support for this move. It is something that we have spoken about time and again, but had not done,” she added.

A former attorney general who served as a resident magistrate before her entry into politics, Malahoo Forte then cautioned that “we should make it abundantly clear that we’re not paying citizens to serve as jurors”.

She outlined that in the context of the justice system, “the jury is not a profession for which you’re paid, but in the Jamaican context it is recognised that many who’re summoned to serve as jurors, incur expenses that should be defrayed.

“And I think it is in the spirit of that incursion of expenses that the increase is made to take care of the inflationary impact on the existing amount”.

Malahoo Forte then added that, “it is without a doubt a good move, but all citizens are to understand that the civic duty to serve as juror, try your peers, is not one to be seen as a profession and so it’s not intended to create professional jurors”.

However, during his contribution to the debate, Opposition Leader Mark Golding pointed out that according to the proposed amendments, the increased payment to jurors is not just for travelling expenses, nor for reimbursing expenses, “It is for sitting on the jury and travelling to and fro to get to court. It’s a compendious payment that covers both things”.

Golding then pointed out that at $6,000 per day a person sitting five days per week will be paid “well in excess of the minimum wage [of $16,000 per week]”.

“It has an element of compensation for the service rendered – time. You may not say that people are professional jurors but the payment is there to compensate [those who serve] and it’s expressly stated …in this bill,” he insisted.

The stipend was last increased over a decade ago when it moved from $400 daily to the current $2,000. At that time, Golding was the minister of justice in the then People’s National Party Government.

-Lynford Simpson