A Canadian Government organisation has recommended fundamental changes at the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), including the way the DPP is appointed.

The International Legal Programme Section (ILPS), an arm of the Canadian Department of Justice, said the absence of a clear process in the Constitution for appointing the DPP "risks undermining the credibility of the appointee exposing him or her to accusations that the appointment was based on political or personal connections rather than professional merit".

The recommendations come two years after the former People's National Party Government invited the body to carry out a preliminary assessment of Jamaica's Justice system with a view to design a longer term programme for justice reform. Since then a five-member team of the ILPS undertook a detailed analysis of the organisation and operation of the Office of the DPP under the Justice Undertakings for Social Transformation (JUST) programme.

In a report, containing 48 recommendations, tabled in Parliament Tuesday, the organisation said one option was for the DPP to be selected by the Public Service Commission, through an advertised process, in addition to parliamentary input in
the selection.

The Canadian organisation also proposed that the DPP be appointed for a fixed term of seven years. The Constitution, at present, guarantees the DPP's tenure until the age
of 60.

In the meantime, the ILPS said it was "very reluctant to endorse an overly rapid expansion of plea bargaining in Jamaica at this time" until "the level of integrity of police investigators had increased significantly, the Office of the DPP is more solidly structured and the efficiency of the courts improved".

It said while plea bargaining can, in appropriate cases, be an important method of accomplishing the aims of criminal law, it should be expanded progressively instead of indiscriminately, given the current state of Jamaica's justice system.