Prime Minister Bruce Golding speaks on his crime plan in Parliament yesterday. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

One of Jamaica's human rights groups yesterday described the Government's new anti-crime plan as reactive, saying it neglects how to ensure that criminals are caught.

"All of these legislation kick in after the person has been caught," said Yvonne McCalla Sobers, convenor of Families Against State Terrorism, adding that the problem was with "catching the people".

But McCalla Sobers said she felt more comfortable with the Government's proposal to detain criminal suspects for 72 hours instead of the 28 days that was being considered.

However, she wants to know whether the Government would prescribe penalties for police personnel who breach a detainee's rights.

Similar views

Executive Director for Jamaicans For Justice, Dr Carolyn Gomes, echoed similar views in relation to the detention of persons suspected of committing a crime.

"I am relieved that the prime minister has not gone down the road of prolonged detention," Dr Gomes told The Gleaner yesterday, explaining that Golding seemed to have tempered some of the suggestions that were made to human-rights groups during a meeting last week.

Gomes said her organisation was now examining the announcements and would formulate a proper response shortly.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Bruce Golding told parliamentarians that legislative changes were coming to tackle the surging crime wave that has left more than 800 people dead since the start of the year.

Among the sweeping legislative proposals is an amendment to the Bail Act, which would prohibit bail for a period of 60 days for persons charged with a serious crime.

The offences include murder, treason, serious firearm offences and arson of a dwelling house or extortion.

In the meantime, Golding said come September, parliamentarians will be debating the resumption of the death penalty before the matter is put to a conscience vote in the House.