KINGSTON, Jamaica, Sept 28, CMC – Defence lawyers Monday say they will withdraw their legal services from all criminal courts in Jamaica following unsuccessful discussions with the Ministry of Justice, over the minimum mandatory sentences in the Firearms Prohibition Restriction and Regulation Act 2022.
In a joint the Jamaican Bar Association (Jambar) and Advocates Association of Jamaica (AAJ) say their members had voted overwhelmingly in favour of withdrawing legal services this week until October 2. While the full withdrawal takes place on Monday, targeted industrial action focused strictly on the Gun Courts will follow on Tuesday.
The lawyers held a near two-hour meeting last Thursday with Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Delroy Chuck. But they said the discussions concluded without any definitive legislative timeline to address their concerns.
The lawyers are demanding changes to the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022, particularly the mandatory minimum sentences, which they say have significantly reduced judges’ ability to consider the circumstances of individual cases.
Last Wednesday the lawyers staged a peaceful and quiet protest with Jambar president Tenneshia Watkins saying “the biggest issue we have is the mandatory minimum which has taken away the discretion of the judge totally and we continue to have the backlogs, cases not moving through the system as they should”.
Watkins said removing the mandatory minimum would be a major step towards addressing the concerns.
But both the Jambar and the AAJ have urged attorneys to manage urgent remand list matters, emergency bail applications involving juveniles or vulnerable persons, and time-sensitive constitutional applications in a manner that ensures no client’s fundamental rights are prejudiced during this period.
The associations say they are again calling for urgent and meaningful legislative amendments to ensure the justice system functions efficiently for all Jamaicans.
CMC/ag/ir/2026