KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Spokesperson on Justice, Zuleika Jess has described as “institutional exploitation”, the lack of monetary or other support for Jamaica’s Justices of the Peace (JPs).

Jess addressed the issue on June 3 during her contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.

“I move to address a deep inequity in our community justice system: the total lack of financial support, stipend or expense coverage for Jamaica’s JPs,” Jess told the Parliament.

She noted that the Ministry of Justice expects over 7,000 JPs to render strictly voluntary service. “They are forbidden from accepting any payment or reward. Yet the state relies on them to process bail, visit lockups and conduct mediations,” she said.

The first-term Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth North Eastern also noted that active JPs must currently pay for their own stationery, printer, ink, and travel costs to courts and prisons out of their own pockets and even fund their expenses to serve in court as lay magistrates. “This is not sustainable volunteerism; it is institutional exploitation,” she declared.

Jess said the Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck continues to flatly reject proposals for a stipend. “He calls it a pure voluntary post, ignoring that the cost of paper, gas, and electricity makes it a luxury only the rich can afford. True justice cannot run on charity alone,” she argued, while calling for a modernised framework for the country’s JPs.

Jess also pointed to the United Nations Volunteers system, the largest volunteer network in the world. She cited that they do not pay a salary, but they provide a structured volunteer living allowance. This, she said “ensures that service is not a luxury restricted exclusively to the wealthy”.

The opposition spokesperson also pointed to the Australian and Canadian frameworks where she said operational support, specialised training allowances, and localised travel subsidies are utilised. Jess said this guarantees that in these jurisdictions JPs are not financially penalised for witnessing documents or processing bail applications.

She emphasised that the opposition was not calling for a lavish salary. “We are calling for an enforceable, transparent stipend, modelled after international best practices. It is time to treat Jamaica’s JPs with the global standard of dignity they deserve. We pay notaries public to notarise documents and judges to hear cases, why shouldn’t we offer our JPs a stipend to cover out of pocket expenses?”