Pratt v A-G for Jamaica
Pratt v A-G for Jamaica | |
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![]() Arms of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council | |
Court | Judicial Committee of the Privy Council |
Full case name | Earl Pratt and Ivan Morgan, Appellants v The Attorney General for Jamaica and The Superintendent of Prisons, Saint Catherine's, Jamaica, Respondents |
Decided | 2 November 1993 |
Citations | [1993] UKPC 1, [1994] 2 AC 1 |
Case history | |
Prior action | Court of Appeal of Jamaica |
Case opinions | |
Lord Griffiths | |
Keywords | |
Capital punishment; inhuman or degrading punishment |
Pratt v A-G for Jamaica is a 1993 Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) case in which it was held that it was unconstitutional in Jamaica to execute a prisoner who had been on death row for 14 years. The JCPC held that because the Constitution of Jamaica prohibits "inhuman or degrading punishment", excessive delays cannot occur between sentencing and execution of the punishment. In cases of such excessive delay, the death sentence should be commuted to life imprisonment.
The JCPC held that any delay of more than five years between sentencing and execution was prima facie evidence that carrying out the sentence would constitute inhuman or degrading punishment. It suggested that the entire appeals process in Jamaica should take no more than two years, and that any further applications to the United Nations Human Rights Council should take no more than 18 months.
External links
- Pratt v A-G for Jamaica, bailii.org
- Articles with short description
- Short description matches Wikidata
- Articles lacking sources from June 2022
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- Use Jamaican English from June 2015
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- 1993 in United Kingdom case law
- 1993 in Jamaica
- Death penalty case law
- Judicial Committee of the Privy Council cases on appeal from Jamaica
- Prisoners sentenced to death by Jamaica