Court hearings suspended until April 20 due to coronavirus
Published:Friday | March 20, 2020 | 4:04 PM
Additional measures have been implemented at parish courts due to COVID-19.
The new measures are:
Suspension of all sittings/hearings
- All sittings and hearings will be suspended from March 23, 2020 until April 20, 2020, save and except for matters deemed by the Judge to be fit for hearing during this period.
- Information concerning matters which were to be heard during the period March 23 and April 17 2020 will be published at the courts, in the printed press and the websites.
- Matters in relation to domestic violence, maintenance collections and payments. Breaches of the Quarantine Act and certain matters involving children will always be treated as emergency matters.*
- In civil matters no trials are to take place. Judgments in default may continue within the discretion of the judge having regard to all the circumstances
- All Senior Parish Court Judges are to put in place a schedule which will ensure reduced service for members of the public. In the parishes of Trelawny and Clarendon, Senior Parish Court Judges and Judges of the Family Courts are to coordinate their schedules to ensure someone is always available for emergency matters arising in the Family Court Jurisdiction.
Bail
- All persons on bail will have their bail extended until their next court date, which will be announced on our websites and through the press.
Criminal Courts
- All sittings of the court are to be suspended until April 20, 2020. Guilty pleas are to be facilitated.
Traffic Court
- All matters for trial are to be adjourned for a future date. Guilty pleas should be facilitated.
Emergency Call Centre
- We have set-up an emergency call centre using some of the straight lines to the courts. Personnel from CAD will answer these lines and contact the Court Administrator for information in relation to each caller. The numbers are being used as the emergency numbers - 876-926-3750, 876-613-8800 and 876-754-8337. All staff members are encouraged to answer their phones during this time and also return calls where necessary.
Drug Treatment Courts
- All matters before the Drug Treatment Courts are to be adjourned for a date in the future.
Spirit Licences
- Applicants for spirit licenses need not turn up for court. Applicants should be advised of the outcome of their applications by phone. For applications not granted, the application is to be heard at the next sitting.
Family Services for Parish and Family Courts
- Counselling matters are to be facilitated by phone (for existing clients) where possible or suspended until further notice. A Counsellor should be available in case of an emergency.
- Declaration of Paternity and Custody matters are to be suspended until further notice.
- We will continue to hear Domestic Violence matters
- Maintenance payments will still be made. Therefore, we will continue to facilitate payments into the courts.
Night Court
- All night court hearings are postponed with immediate effect. Affected persons can call the hotlines for the new dates and for further information.
These measures are aimed at discouraging public gatherings and promoting social distancing.
How to get information
Please visit the intranet and the following websites: www.supremecourt.gov.jm, cad.gov.jm and www.parishcourt.gov.jm for information on new court dates.
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