IF EVER more evidence were needed of the slow slide of certain sections of the Jamaican society into indecency and corruption, the recent exposure of the dishonourable role played by some Justices of the Peace in the issuance of gun licences and the recruitment of farm workers would clinch the case. These breaches of trust by JPs, appointed because of their supposedly good reputation in their communities, bring into disrepute an ancient branch of English legal administration which goes back to Magna Carta, formally created in 1215.
Perhaps because the position was traditionally unpaid, its social status was all the more elevated, a manifestation of the service to society good men were prepared to render without compensation. From earliest times in English history lay justices have been relied upon to deal with the rule of law at grass roots level, to keep the peace and to be part of a procedure by which identities are verified and good character vouched for.
When JPs vouch for persons applying for gun licences or for the farm work programme knowing that they are unfit, the entire process breaks down. Guns end up in the hands of criminals and are used to murder innocent citizens. Farm workers use their status to smuggle drugs into host countries where they are offered employment.
Some time ago, the appointment of JPs was "democratised" to make them more accessible to the people. It is unfortunate that some bad apples are corrupting the system and perhaps the criteria for making the appointments need to be reviewed. The Lay Magistrates Association must improve surveillance of its members and if there is evidence of a JP being in collusion with criminals he or she should be decommissioned immediately.
It is urgent that steps be taken to rid the system of crooked or grossly negligent JPs even if this means hauling the offenders before the courts. The JP system has served Jamaica well over the years. An example needs to be set so that some degree of public confidence can be restored to the system.
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