KINGSTON, Jamaica – Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn has warned that the country’s justice could deteriorate into a state of “jungle justice” if her office did not get the resources it needed to function efficiently.
Llewellyn is under fire for what critics say is the slow pace at which her office delivers case rulings.
However, the DPP has defended her office, saying it lacked the staff complement required to ensure that justice is properly delivered through the established system.
“However well-resourced and efficient other stakeholders in the system may be, if the prosecuting arm of the State is unable to operate efficiently, transparently, and with a high level of accountability, then the credibility of the entire justice system will be compromised and the public frustration will engender a cynicism which will give fodder for the ‘don man’ culture and ‘jungle justice’,” Llewellyn is quoted by the Sunday Gleaner as saying in .
The Office of the DPP and the recently established Independent Commission of Investigations have squabbled over the Commission’s decision to arrest and charge a police officer, without the DPP’s authorization. This has reignited the debate about the pace at which rulings are made by the DPP.
But Llewellyn told the newspaper that while there had been a significant rise in the crime rate over the past 50 years, the DPP’s office had not received the staff complement to match “the frequency and callous disregard for law and order” by both civilians and law enforcement officials.
“The provision of the human resources has not kept pace with the tremendous increase of workload over the years,” she said.
Llewellyn explained that the department needed at least 10 additional prosecuting attorneys, two paralegals, plus seven other support staff in order for it to perform at optimal level.
Additionally, she said, the DPP’s office was suffering from severe attrition as experienced lawyers did not hesitate to move to Resident Magistrate’s courts and private practice. (CMC)
