CURB Welcome Jury & Expungement Changes
CURB said they welcome the “Attorney General’s swift response to making changes to the law that now allows both prosecutors and defence attorneys to equally challenge jurors for court cases” and the “moves to introduce the Expungement of Convictions Act which removes a person’s criminal conviction if they were convicted of possessing 7 grams or less of cannabis before 2017.”
A spokesperson said, “CURB welcomes the Attorney General’s swift response to making changes to the law that now allows both prosecutors and defence attorneys to equally challenge jurors for court cases. Up until this point, as highlighted in a recent news story, prosecutors had an unfair advantage in the numbers of jurors that they could dismiss. If justice, as it has been said, must not only be done but also seen to be done, the current situation flies in the face of fairness.
“It is an archaic, colonial, privilege that ensures greater opportunities for conviction and less for justice. It is also an example of structural racism. Given the considerable breadth of legal intellectual power in this community, it is hard to believe that this practice has never been challenged. Structural racism cloaks itself in practices that have endured over time.
“Perhaps it is not so ironic that it took an individual whose actions landed him in the system to point out such a glaring anomaly in the execution of ‘justice.’It is to the Attorney General’s credit that she responded positively. But this should be viewed as only the beginning. How many people may have got an unfair trial because the jury was stacked against them? Might this not spark a review of the Criminal Justice system, something that CURB has repeatedly called for in their Racial Justice Platform?
“We also welcome the Attorney General’s recent moves to introduce The Expungement of Convictions Act which removes a person’s criminal conviction if they were convicted of possessing 7 grams or less of cannabis before 2017. This follows the introduction of the 2017 Misuse of Drugs [Decriminalisation of Cannabis] Amendment Act, decriminalising possession of 7 grams or less of cannabis.
“We view this as taking another step in righting past historical wrongs as discriminatory practices often introduced young black males, in particular, to the Criminal Justice system even though young whites also use cannabis. We recognise that this measure does not halt those discriminatory practices, both in the stopping individuals by law authorities, and in determining which cases proceed to trial but, as we have stated, this is another step against injustice.
“Likewise, we recognise that this will not remove persons from the “stop-list” of countries who close their borders to persons with convictions, but it will prevent others who may be in possession of 7 grams or less of cannabis from having a conviction and thus maintain their freedom to travel if they are otherwise free of challenges with the law.
“We look forward to learning about other initiatives that the Attorney General has indicated will be forthcoming.”
Ironic that majority of people on de Stop List are Black Men who were targeted through racial profiling!
Yeah right! It’s not like they broke the law or nothing like that! Dumb a$$!
smelly onion, what is the demographic ratio on this island. just asking?
You only get placed on the stop list if you do the crime.
I agree, but just as much white boys were smoking weed but never got stopped and searched!!!!!!!!!!!!
Onion Juice knows so much. I bet he does not have a single white friend – by choice of course.
Was it racial profiling or just being stupid enough to blatantly flout the laws in broad daylight ?
I remember the ‘bad old days’ being at Island Theatre and Rosebank being subject to people toking while the movie was showing with a full audience. They were just daring anyone to say something .
Sitting under the horse canopies on Front Street at 1 in the afternoon watching people drive past with de Elephant in their hand hanging out the window .
Advertise what you do and you’re more likely to get nicked.
Curb can you tell Us how you came to the conclusion that a disproportionate amount of blacks were put on the stop list than whites . Please include usage data to . Facts only no rumors!
They get their “facts” from OJ.com a reliable source for misinformation and conspiracy theory.
Do you also want proof that whites make $20,000 more then their Black counterparts.(with same degree)
Yes please assuming degrees are from same schools.
Working for the same company ?
You do realize that companies have to fill out employee information surveys regularly .
But if they broke the law during a time that it was a law, why should the slate be wiped clean?
A slight exaggeration to make a point: so if murder becomes legal in the future, all past murderers should be released from prison with a clean slate?
The law is unjust, hypocritical and senseless and has been used to destroy good people’s lives. Expungement of records for only 7 grams or under doesn’t even come near to restorative justice. Your analogy is ridiculous. Possession of a tiny amount of a beneficial plant being compared to murder is more than a slight exaggeration, it shows your extreme bias and ignorance.
Shouldn’t matter which race you are. If you do the crime you go on the list, simple.