Loadinglan956

Judiciary seeks to clarify fines for outstanding traffic tickets

To find out specific information on how and where to plead guilty and pay your traffic ticket fines, choose your state. Your ticket payment options will depend on the traffic court handling your citation. Ticket payment options often include: Paying your traffic ticket online. Mailing your ticket fine/guilt plea to the traffic court. Access your Traffic ticket payment 4. TRAFFIC TICKET INFORMATION: Enter your traffic ticket number and driver’s license number, then select show amount. Select Add to Today’s total, if you paying for more than one ticket. If a traffic ticket is not reflected please contact the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Traffic Ticket Amnesty Call. The National Security Minister is inviting motorists to check if they have outstanding traffic tickets so that they can take advantage of the amnesty now on. The amnesty, which began on July 1, will end on December 31 and applies to motorists with traffic tickets issued before September 21, 2010.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Judiciary has sought to clarify its handling of motorists who are brought before the court with hundreds of outstanding traffic tickets, particularly as it relates to the fines imposed.

In a statement from the Court Management System (CMS), the Judiciary said misinformation has been aired in both social and mainstream media but it believes this is as a result of the release of incomplete information to the public.

In recent months, a number of motorists with hundreds of outstanding traffic tickets have been brought before the court. However, there has been public criticisms over the fines handed down to the delinquent drivers.

Most recently, a motorist who had amassed a total of 425 outstanding traffic tickets was fined $20,000, another who had 423 unpaid traffic tickets was fined $34,000 and a third motorist with 406 outstanding tickets was ordered to pay $35,000.

The Judiciary, in its statement, explained that a number of factors contribute to the fines imposed including the parish in which the ticket was issued, the offence listed on the warrant for the motorist and available sentencing options.

It also noted that a new Traffic Ticketing Management System (TTMS) will soon be commissioned to ensure that the police, tax offices and the courts all have simultaneous access to one constantly updated database showing an accurate status of paid and outstanding traffic tickets.

See full statement from the Judiciary below:

Pay My Traffic Ticket Online Jamaica

Following the extensive discussions in the public domain in respect of fines being imposed on Motorists who have been issued with hundreds of traffic tickets, the Judiciary would like to clarify some of the misinformation which has been aired in both social and mainstream media. The misinformation, we believe, is as a result of the release of incomplete information to the public.

The following should provide clarity on some issues raised in the ongoing public discussion on this matter:

1. Outstanding Tickets

• Each outstanding ticket relates to a separate charge. A number of the motorists who have hundreds or over a thousand tickets have accumulated them over several years, (in at least one case from as far back as 2010), and in more than one parishes.
• Each Parish Court can only deal with those tickets issued within the parish for which that court has jurisdiction. Motorists who have accumulated tickets in different parishes have to attend court in each parish to answer to the tickets issued in that parish
• Each outstanding ticket has to be located and relisted for hearing. If a motorist pleads not guilty, the matter has to be tried. For there to be a trial, the policeman who issued the ticket has to provide a statement, if one was not initially provided.

2. Executed Warrants

• When a motorist is brought before the court on an executed warrant, he only answers to the particular offence(s) listed on that warrant. For example, someone who has five hundred (500) outstanding tickets who is brought to court on three executed warrants, will only answer to the charges on those warrants and not all their outstanding tickets. The court can only deal with the offences listed before it. The other tickets remain outstanding for future adjudication. It is therefore inaccurate that the courts are giving discounted fines to persistent traffic offenders.

3. Guilty Pleas

• Once a motorist who is brought before the court on an executed warrant, pleads guilty to the listed offences and fines are imposed and paid, the court has no power to further detain the person on any other outstanding matter(s) unless another warrant is executed on the defendant.

4. Available Sentencing Options –

The Road Traffic Act (RTA) stipulates the penalties that can be imposed:

• Most ticketable offences do not carry the option of a custodial sentence regardless of how many times an offender has been ticketed.
• The penalty is usually limited to a fine. The courts are not empowered to increase these fines.
• In some circumstances, the court may additionally suspend the individual's driver's licence.
• There are instances where the maximum fine that can be imposed by the court is less than the fine payable at the Tax Office. The offences of 'exceeding the speed limit' and 'disobeying traffic signs and traffic lights' for example, attract a lesser fine in court than at the Tax Office. If a person who is issued with a ticket for exceeding the speed limit, comes before the court, the maximum fine the court is empowered to impose under the RTA is $6,000.
• Significantly, in respect of most ticketable offences, section 116(10) of the RTA prevents the court from considering previous offences when sentencing a motorist for a current offence, even where the previous offences are similar.

5. Reform Initiatives

Through the joint efforts of the Ministries of National Security, Justice and the Court Management Services, a new Traffic Ticketing Management System (TTMS) will soon be commissioned. This improved system will among other enhancements:

• Ensure that the police, tax offices and the courts all have simultaneous access to one constantly updated database showing an accurate status of paid and outstanding traffic tickets; and
• Provide for the automatic generation of warrants for checking and signature to replace the manual completion of warrants that currently obtains.

The Judiciary of Jamaica enjoins all justice partners and stakeholders to ensure, as far as possible, that complete and accurate information is issued to the public concerning matters addressed by the courts. This will help to uphold respect for the Rule of Law and reduce the danger of the credibility of, not just the courts, but also the entire justice system being seriously undermined.

The Judiciary of Jamaica remains committed to doing our part to ensure the maintenance of law and order in our society.

Now you can read the Jamaica Observer ePaper anytime, anywhere. The Jamaica Observer ePaper is available to you at home or at work, and is the same edition as the printed copy available at http://bit.ly/epaper-login

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: 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

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.comments powered by DisqusNews

The Miscellaneous Amendments Bill, which was passed in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, will allow anyone with outstanding traffic tickets to pay only half the fine in an attempt to clear the backlog of traffic matters from the courts.

In piloting the bill, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act was one of the 17 pieces of legislation to be amended under the bill. This, he said, will rid the courts of some 60,000 matters now clogging the system.

“We are ready to go live with the demerit point system, the Cabinet has temporarily delayed that decision. We have recognised that there is approximately 60,000-80,000 traffic matters in courts. We therefore propose a Section 50 of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act and are now offering a 50 per cent sale on old tickets.”

How To Pay Traffic Ticket Online Jamaica

In what he described as a “judicial revolution”, the aim is to reduce the case-load for magistrates from 146,000 to 7,500 annually. In keeping with magistrates, Al-Rawi told the Parliament that the proposed amendment to the Magistrates’ Protection Act will allow magistrates to operate without “trembling fingers.”

He said magistrates will also have the same protection as judges not to be sued in their personal capacity for their rulings. This, he said, is part of the Government’s plan to revolutionise the criminal justice system which will allow magistrates to address more serious matters and, as such, will need them to be protected.

The Miscellaneous Amendments Bill also amends several financial acts, including the Central Bank Act, the Securities Act, Financial Intelligence Act, Companies Act and the Income Tax Act.

Under the Securities Act, the proposal will be to increase the fine to up to $5 million for breaches of the law. It will also allow for disgorgement of profits gained from breaches of the law.

Al-Rawi added that part of the amendments to the financial acts will allow institutions to divulge information to law enforcement officers during investigations, without them being accused of breaching confidentiality.

Under the Companies Act, his proposal will be to mandate each company to issue shares with 14 days of it being registered and that company be further mandated to disclose who are shareholders within two weeks. For existing companies, the proposal is that they will be given six months to do likewise. This he said will reveal those who have interest in certain companies and are not disclosing it.

In response to his proposals, Caroni East MP Ganga Singh said the disclosure by banks of certain information could be equalled to “coercion” to breach confidentiality. He added that currently there is law that will allow for that called the Production Order.

Regarding the Magistrates’ Protection Act, Singh said magistrates are not infallible and can err. He said the Constitution will need amending if that is allowed since the amendment will mean that citizens will not be allowed to challenge a magistrate’s decision.

“What about redress and judicial reviews,” he asked of Al-Rawi. He further groused that there were cases of bias levelled against magistrates and advised that the AG look at similar laws passed in Jamaica.

In response, Al-Rawi said the amendment to that law will not interfere with the Constitution. There is no need to explicitly state there will still be a right to appeal, he said, since the overarching law to address such is not going to be touched.