A sustained reduction in violent crimes across the nation is to be noted in 2023, with a clear message being sent to violence producers, says Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
In his 2023 New Year’s Day message to the nation, Holness said legislative framework is coming this year to tackle the “epidemic of crime”, as part of an indication to perpetrators that the criminal justice system “is not a revolving door”.
“Criminals will begin to understand that we are changing the risk-reward dynamic of crime in Jamaica. The probability of being caught is great, the penalty for crimes is high, and the opportunities and loopholes to escape justice are being closed,” the prime minister stated.
He informed that in the next few months, amendments will be taken to Parliament to increase the penalty for murder to over 30 years and that the bail process will be streamlined with the passage of a new Bail Act.
In addition, a new Corrections Bill, a Fingerprints Bill, and an Enhanced Security Measures Bill will be tabled this year.
This follows the passing of the Firearms Act in 2022, which gave allowance for a minimum 15 years to life sentence for a person convicted of an illegal gun offence.
With this, as well as the use of emergency powers and various joint enforcement operations, an impact is already being noted on murder numbers, the prime minister said.
“We were able to reduce the number of murders and save more lives in November and December 2022 thereby significantly bringing down the murder rate at the end of 2022. Your government is steadily building out the legal framework that is appropriate to treat with those determined to perpetuate violence in our society,” he explained.
In the meantime, Holness is appealing to young men, who are both the perpetrators of gun crimes and the victims of gun crimes, to turn away from guns.
“The probability of you being arrested and taken out of society for at least 15 years is increasing daily. Throw away the gun, don’t throw away your life,” Holness urged.
