Over 6,000 convicted in Corporate Area RM courts
Sunday, September 08, 2013
JUST over 6000 Jamaicans who have been convicted in the Corporate Area
Resident Magistrate's (RM) courts for crimes they committed, will be
paying the cost in the form of fines and/or prison time imposed by the
courts.
Statistics compiled by the Criminal Records Office of the Jamaica
Constabulary Force for the period January to July this year, show that a
total of 6,150 Jamaicans were convicted in the Corporate Area RM Courts
and were sentenced to serve a total of 1,254 years and/or fines
amounting to $37.5 million.
This figure brings the total number of persons
convicted in the country to 10,512, sentenced to serve a total of 6,214
years and/or monetary fines amounting to $90.5 million, taking the Home
Circuit Court and the other parishes into consideration.
The analysis of the figures show that the monetary fines and prison time
imposed on those convicted by the Corporate Area RM courts account for
41.6 per cent and 22 per cent of the totals, respectively. The figures
show that the Corporate Area RM court convicted 1,788 more individuals
for criminal offences, than the other courts combined. These offences
included smoking ganja, possession of ganja or cocaine, dealing in,
trafficking and attempting to export ganja or cocaine, wounding,
assault, larceny, malicious destruction of property and fraud-related
offences. The analysis of the figures revealed that 71 per cent were
convicted for drug-related offences, 14 per cent for assault and
wounding offences, five per cent for larceny and the remaining two per
cent included break-ins, robberies and malicious destruction of
property.
The Constabulary Communication Network in a statement said that the
Police are reminding Jamaicans that the commission of crimes, regardless
of how simple it may seem, comes at a cost. The Police remain committed
to enforcing law and are sending the message that any disregard for the
laws of the land will not go unpunished.
The Police are appealing to citizens to consider the consequences of
their actions, as a criminal record can have far-reaching implications
for their future, including career and immigration restrictions.
