Members of the public are being urged to be a part of the discussions surrounding the development of the Jury Bill 2022 and have their concerns addressed before the bill is passed in the House of Assembly.
In a recent interview with the Government Information Service (GIS), Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Tiffany Scatliffe, Registrar of the High Court Vareen Vanterpool-Nibbs and Security and Justice Policy Advisor Olva McKenzie-Agard explored the ins and outs of the new legislation and the various changes that have been made to better align the bill with the modern day needs of the territory and the recommendations made in the Commission of Inquiry Report.
While public education activities of this kind continue, members of the public are being urged to utilise an online form available on the Government of the Virgin Islands website to share their feedback and ask questions about the bill.
“I’ll encourage persons to read the bill. While the bill has gone through a reformation process not everything in the bill is entirely new. It may be worthy to compare the current act with the new bill but also to read it… Send in your questions and we will be more than willing to answer those questions”, said McKenzie-Agard.
“I encourage the public to participate, ask your questions, be sure you understand what this is about and we hope that the bill is soon passed”, remarked Vanterpool-Nibbs.
During the information session with GIS, the DPP stressed that members of the public need to familiarise themselves with the new provisions included in the bill, and the Jury system it outlines given its integral role in the criminal justice system.
“The Jury Bill 2022 is an essential piece of legislation. To go back to the history, the current act was passed in 1914. Of course things were a lot different then in the British Virgin Islands and we started the process in 2009 to get a new jury bill that better facilitated the criminal justice process”, said Scatliffe.
“Law reform becomes necessary when there are social changes. From 1914 to 2022 obviously the Virgin Islands has changed quite a bit so the reformation of the Jury Act was imperative”, McKenzie Agard added.
Members of the public can access the feedback form at and read the bill at bit.ly/jurybill2022, feedback can also be submitted via dgo@gov.vg, on the Government of the Virgin Islands Website or via one of the following phone lines, 468 3000 or 468 2195.