KINGSTON, Jamaica — Government Senator Christian Tavares-Finson is calling for the Court Management System to consider making more frequent payments to jurors as opposed to making a single total payment only when a trial is completed.

Tavares-Finson made the suggestion during debate in the upper house of parliament on Friday on a bill which seeks to increase the stipend which is paid to people who serve on a jury panel.

He reasoned that if Jamaica is to modernise the jury system, steps must be taken to ensure that those who serve are treated with fairness and respect in every practical sense including concerning the issue of remuneration to cover transportation cost and daily sustenance.

“Compensation must not only be increased, it must be delivered in a timely and reliable manner. Delayed payment undermines the very purpose of the stipend and sends the wrong signal about the value we place on civic duty,” he noted.

“As I understand it Mr President what currently obtains is that jurors are paid at the end of the matter in which they are involved. The truth is that this sometime takes up to four months even though the process is now addressed via direct transfer”, Tavares-Finson said.

The prominent civil and defence attorney argued that it cannot be fair that jurors, many of whom are self-employed, are asked to suspend their normal business to participate in a trial when compensation will be delayed for months.

“I want to impress upon the Court Administration Division, which is under the direction of the chief justice, to look at this issue and come up with a way to have the stipend paid, possibly fortnightly and without extended delay. I am told that quite often the court has to use petty cash to assist jurors’ transportation. With respect, Mr President this cannot be an efficient way to treat with jurors in a modernised Jamaican justice system”, Tavares Finson told the Senate.

He noted that strengthening the jury system is not about preserving tradition but concerns reinforcing the pillars of justice, enhancing public trust, and ensuring that Jamaica’s legal system continues to support the orderly development of our nation.

“A fair and credible judiciary is not a luxury—it is a necessity for economic growth, social stability, and the protection of the rights of every Jamaican. This Bill, though measured in scope, represents a meaningful step toward that essential goal”, Tavares-Finson concluded.

Tavares-Finson also reiterated his support for a hybrid system of justice but noted that already the majority of cases in Jamaica are decided by the verdict of judges as opposed to a jury panel.