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Kenneth Grant, President of the Trelawny Chapter of the Lay Magistrates' Association of Jamaica
A Justice of the Peace in western Jamaica has painted a worrying picture of the systems in place to monitor the state of police lock-ups.
Kenneth Grant, President of the Trelawny Chapter of the Lay Magistrates' Association of Jamaica, says administrative changes are needed.
His disclosure comes in the context of renewed debate about the state of police lock-ups and places of detention, sparked by the Public Defender's report on those detained under the State of Emergency in St James.
The Public Defender made claims about poor facilities and treatment, which were challenged by the police.
Mr. Grant has also acknowledged that more can be done by Justices of the Peace, who are required to conduct regular inspections of the facilities.
"I wish my Justices, not only in Trelawny but in many other parts of Jamaica, would actually do the visitations as often as is required to be done," he said, arguing that JPs in most parishes have been failing in this regard.
Mr. Grant, who was speaking Tuesday on RJR's Beyond the Headlines, suggested that the situation can be improved through a more coordinated approach from both the local and ministerial level.
"What happens, when those reports goes (sic) to the ministry, they do not necessarily get a formal notification of what was done to the lock-ups. I am of the view that the problem of the lock-ups is not being addressed properly, for many of the lock-ups are in bad condition," he asserted.
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