Over 6,000 convicted in Corporate Area RM courts

News

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.

HOUSE RULES

1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.

4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.

5. Please don’t use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed:mailto:advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.

6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.

7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

comments powered by

View the original article here

Over 6,000 convicted in Corporate Area RM courts