House approves truncated version of bill to increase stipend paid to jurors
KINGSTON, Jamaica —The move to increase the stipend paid to jurors from $2,000 to $6,000 daily is one step closer to reality after the House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a truncated version of the Jury (Amendment) Act 2026.
It was passed with eight amendments after Justice Minister Delroy Chuck admitted that the proposed amendments to the act that would guide how a judge proceeds with a trial in the event of jury tampering “needed more tweaking” and would not be dealt with at this stage.
“The bill itself dealt with two issues – an increase in the fees and the widening of the fees …and also the matter of jury tampering …,” Chuck noted.
“A number of concerns were raised, and it seem to me, even though I’ve tried to remedy a number of the concerns raised in relation to jury tampering, that it still needs a bit of tweaking,” Chuck added.
He told the House that he would only proceed with the increase in the fees, and as such, the other issues, including jury tampering, would be addressed when the joint select committee of Parliament undertakes a comprehensive review of the Jury Act.
Opposition Leader Mark Golding, who had raised concerns about those and other provisions, had forced a postponement to the debate. He had also noted that the increase in the stipend could have been facilitated via the regulations rather than an amendment to the legislation.
Golding also argued that some of the proposed amendments did not belong in the Jury Act but in other legislation.
And he took issue with the proposed clause, which would have allowed a judge to terminate a trial and order a new trial if the judge was satisfied that it was in the interest of justice to do so.
“That’s it. This is not a tampering provision,” said Golding.
He argued that the proposal was too broad and that the proper scope needs to be clear.
“It can’t be just a general provision that seems to apply to all trials in Jamaica,” he said.
Chuck had agreed to make changes and conclude the debate, but after two weeks, he instead offered a truncated bill, which was eventually passed. It will now go to the Senate for debate and passage, after which it will go to the Governor-General for his assent.
-Lynford Simpson
