Extradition

This chapter continues with an account of Jamaica’s foreign policy directives in relation to narcotrafficking. The country’s leadership has had to contend with the uncomfortable reality of the regular involvement of some Jamaicans in unlawful international narcotics, lottery scamming and other crimes. Given the serious repercussions of these activities in Jamaica and beyond its borders, extradition has become a central feature of the country’s foreign policy. This chapter sets out the domestic and foreign policy framework for Jamaica’s extradition law in through a governmental act and a number of bilateral and multilateral treaties. It outlines the provisions, principles and reciprocal nature of the Extradition Act and establishes that foreign policy in this area intends to promote the rule of law across borders while safeguarding basic rights for citizens subject to extradition. Chapter 11 interrogates extradition as a policy that has primarily been with the United States. It discusses the details of the infamous Christopher “Dudus” Coke case (2009/2010) and examines some of the controversial elements of the Richard “Storyteller” Morrison (1991) case. As a response to the absence of an extradition treaty with Haiti following the assassination of President Moise, we make recommendations for Jamaica to remedy this gap with our closest regional partners in CARICOM. Finally, this chapter also examines some of the other factors informing Jamaica’s extradition policy and identifies the merits and shortcomings of this aspect of Jamaica’s foreign policy.