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Welcome to the Blog # 9 Titled: How can NCU campus security approach students without infringing on their rights as both students and citizens?

The usage of student search can help to keep schools safe. I should not be harassed in any manner when queries or remarks directed at me are ignored. The primary goal of the Campus Safety and Security Department is to ensure the safety and security of students.

Campus security can approach students in a variety of ways without infringing on their rights, such as:

When approaching a pupil for a search, make sure the search is performed carefully. Allow female security to inspect a female student if she is being searched. The person you’re searching for shouldn’t feel harassed.

If inquiries are disregarded, don't demand or force students to acknowledge your existence.

When approaching a student, maintain a calm and courteous demeanor rather than being forceful or disrespectful.

Try not to infringe on students' rights unless there is a legal cause for doing so.

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Welcome to the Blog # 8 Titled: What Should One Do When Approached by the Police?

Being approached by the police is a stressful situation that may quickly spiral out of control. However, when approached by a police officer, pay close attention to anything you're told, directed, or commanded to do, because you could be expected to repeat it exactly. When approached by a police officer, you should do the following: 

Keep calm.

Do not interfere with the police or obstruct them.

Do not tell lies or give false documents.

Prepare yourself and your family in the event you are arrested.

Remember the details of the incident.

Never run as it can make you seem suspicious or guilty even if you haven’t done anything or know why the police are approaching you.

Listen carefully to the statements and obey all orders made by the police. 

Slow down, then pull over as soon as it is safe to do so. 

The expectation of a police officers approach to citizens or non-citizens:

Show credentials 

Be polite when asking or answering questions posed to the officer. 

Do not use force. 

If there is a need for the police to take statements, if you are under the age of 18, an officer should not question you without a parent or guardian present.

https://www.aclufl.org/en/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-if-you-are-approached-or-arrested-law-enforcement-police

http://www.oas.org/es/sla/dlc/mesicic/docs/jam_res26.pdf

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Welcome to the Blog # 7 Title: How a citizen should behave when approached by the police, whether for arrest, search, seizure or detention, or simple questioning.

A citizen may ask what I should do when approached by the police. When approached by a police officer, it is essential to follow these steps: 

Remain Calm.

Show no hostility.

Put your hands where the officer can see them.

Don’t run! Once you run, it appears to the officer that you have something to hide, even if you don’t.

Listen carefully to everything you are told, instructed, or ordered to do.

Also, if you are being questioned, searched, or arrested by an officer, you can follow these steps: 

Officer, why am I being interrogated, searched, and arrested? If you believe the police have misinterpreted your behavior, say, "Officer, let me explain why I did not respond, why I am here, or why I am holding this weapon or money."

If a police officer wants to search your house or car, you can ask for a warrant. If you are female, you should only be searched by a female officer. However, stay calm, be patient, and ensure you have the right to an attorney.

If the police have arrested you, You have the right to make a local phone call. If you contact a lawyer, the officers will not listen. However, if you call someone else, they can and frequently listen.

“Stopped By Police”. Know Your Rights | American Civil Liberties Union, 2021, https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/stopped-by-police/.

https://www.oas.org/es/sla/dlc/mesicic/docs/jam_res26.pdf

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Welcome to blog # 6 Title: Responsibilities of citizens and the police

Every Jamaican citizen has a responsibility to:

To have your privacy respected within your home and family. 

Live as a free person; 

 Be safe and protected by the law; 

Enjoy the use of property which you own and which is rightly yours; 

Express your opinion freely; 

 Meet and socialize with others peacefully.

Police Responsibilities include:

To question anyone who may be able to help with investigations

Maintaining public order and safety

To find, arrest, prosecute, or warn anyone who has committed or is suspected of committing an offence.

Uphold the rights of all citizens

To protect their property and themselves from harm

Treat citizens equally regardless of their race, colour, domicile, religion, gender, or political opinion.

 To discover, arrest, prosecute or warn persons who have committed an offence or are suspected of having committed an offence.

http://www.oas.org/es/sla/dlc/mesicic/docs/jam_res26.pdf

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Welcome to blog # 5 Title: Remedies for Those Whose Rights have been Branched

Many nations, according to the United Nations, have human rights enforcement mechanisms in place, which may include a human rights commission to investigate complaints and specific adjudicative organizations to hear cases. Human rights complaints can also be heard in the normal course of a civil or criminal proceeding. Furthermore, if it is determined that a claimant's rights have been violated, they are entitled to monetary compensation.

If your rights are being violated you can contact the following individuals/organizations :

The Office of the Public Defender

Ombudsman

Ministry of Justice

Supreme Court (Judge by making an appeal)

Legal Aid Council

Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM)

The Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights

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Welcome to blog # 4 Title: Rights of a Northern Caribbean University Student

Students do not "give up their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate," as the Supreme Court held in 1969. This is also true of other essential rights. In addition to constitutional rights, students have the right to speak out, hand out flyers and petitions, and wear expressive clothing in school — as long as you don’t disrupt the school’s functioning or violate school policies that don’t hinge on the message expressed.

Although Northern Caribbean University is a Seventh-day Adventist institution, it is governed by its ideals. Students, on the other hand, have the right to religious freedom. As a result, the government is not permitted to impose its views on non-believers. Some other rights students of the Northern Caribbean University are: 

As long as they are enrolled students in the institution, each student has the right to engage in club activities or any other resource that the university has to offer, regardless of their views.

Students have the right to safety. 

Students have the right to make complaints but follow the chain of command if a student thinks that another student, employee, or third party has infringed his or her academic or personal rights while at the institution. The student must pursue a comprehensive procedure outlined in the school's constitution.

Assemble, speak, write, discuss and express thoughts and opinions without interference or fear of disciplinary action.

Students have the right to privacy.

References 

Students’ Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/students-rights/

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Welcome to blog #3 Title:  knowing your rights as a child

A child is defined as a person under the age of 18 in the Child Care and Protection Act. The rights of a child are listed in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedom and the Child Care and Protection Act and are reflective of the Convention on the Rights of a Child.

The United Nations General Assembly approved the Convention on the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1989. The Convention on the Rights of the Child was signed on January 26, 1990, and approved on May 14, 1991, making it binding legislation in Jamaica. The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms and the Child Care and Protection Act both protect children's rights.

The Convention was constructed on four core principles, which are: non-discrimination, devotion to the best interests of the child, the right to life, survival, and development, and respect for the views of the child. Also, the rights are categorized by Guiding Principle, Survival and Development Rights, Protection Rights, and Participation Rights. Participation Rights ensure children’s views, concerns, or opinions are considered when making decisions that affect them. These include food, clothes, shelter, health care, and education. While for Protection rights, children are protected from violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and exposure to things that cause addiction, such as drugs, rum, etc. 

In addition to these, children have the right:

1. from birth to a name, to acquire a nationality, and to know and be cared for by his or her parents.

2. to retain contact with his parents in cases of separation. If separation is the result of detention, imprisonment, or death, the State shall provide the information to the child or parents about the whereabouts of the missing family member.

3. to seek, receive and impart information in various forms, including art, print, writing.

4. to freedom of association and peaceful assembly.

5. to social security

6. to enjoy his or her culture, to practice his or her own language.

7. to play, recreational activities, and to participate in cultural and artistic life.

Reference

Act right, treat me right a guide based on the Child Care and Protection Act 2004 for children 13 -18 years. (2007). Kingston: The Child Development Agency.

Children’s Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.jamaicansforjustice.org/learning-resources/childrens-rights/

Do Good Jamaica. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://dogoodjamaica.org/childrens-rights/

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Welcome to blog # 2 Title: Rights of a Jamaican Citizen

As Jamaicans; we are quick to clarify that we have rights, and yes, we have rights. But how many of us understand the whole concept of rights? How many of us know or understand the rights that we have under the Constitution of Jamaica? 

The rights of a citizen apply to those claims and privileges recognized and enforced by the state. These claims are not rights until the law permits them. The citizens are meant to enjoy these rights to live a sound, active and balanced life in society.  The universal declaration of human rights is substantial; its principles are incorporated into the constitutions of countries in the united nations, including jamaica making it constitutional law. The rights of every Jamaican citizen can be found in chapter three of the constitution; Fundamental rights and freedoms.  

 Provides that every person, regardless of race, place of origin, political opinions, color, creed, or sex, is entitled to certain fundamental rights and freedoms. Rights that you are entitled to under the Constitution of Jamaica include:

The right to life, liberty, and security of person except in the execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offense of which the person has been convicted

The right to freedom of thought, conscience, belief, and observance of political doctrines

The right to freedom of expression

The right to seek, receive, distribute or disseminate information, opinions, and ideas through any media.

The right to peaceful assembly and association

The right to freedom of movement, that is to say, the right  (i) of every citizen of Jamaica to enter Jamaica; and (ii) of every person lawfully in Jamaica, to move around freely throughout Jamaica, to reside in any part of Jamaica and to leave Jamaica

The right to equality before the law

The right to equitable and human treatment by any public authority in the exercise of any function

The right to freedom from discrimination on the ground of (i) being male or female (ii) race, place of origin, class, color, religion, political opinions

The right to everyone to (i) protection from a search of the person and property (ii) respect for the protection of private and family life, and privacy of the home; and (iii) protection of other property and communication;

The right of every child to be protected by virtue of being a minor, part of a family, society, and the State

The right of every child who is a citizen of Jamaica to public educational institutions at the pre-primary and primary levels

The right to enjoy a healthy and productive environment free from the threat of injury or damage from environmental abuse and degradation of the ecological heritage

The right of every citizen of Jamaica to be registered to vote

The right of every citizen of Jamaica who is so registered to vote in free and fair elections

The right of every citizen of Jamaica to be guaranteed a passport and not to be detained or deprived except by due process of the law

The right to protection from torture, or inhuman or degrading punishment, or other treatment

The right to freedom of the person

The protection of property rights

The right to due process

The right to freedom of religion

See The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms (Constitutional Amendment) Act, 2011 for more details.

References

The Jamaica (Constitution) Order in Council. (1962). The Jamaica (Constitution) Order in Council.

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Welcome to blog #1 Title: Introductory Blog

Hi, my name is Royann Francis. I’m a sophomore student at the Northern Caribbean University, pursuing a Criminal Justice degree and an emphasis in Forensic Science. I’m currently taking the course Citizen Rights and Law Enforcement. One of the requirements to pass this course is to complete approximately ten blogs using this platform. My instructor requested my instructor to shed light on the theme “Know your rights.” to bring awareness to my school population of their different rights as Jamaican citizens, a child, and students of the Northern Caribbean University.  

What are rights? 

According to Merriam-Webster, rights are something to which one has a just claim, such as the power or privilege to which one is justly entitled (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d.). At the same time, T. H. Green explains that rights are powers necessary to fulfill man’s vocation as a normal being (Ghali, n.d.). In contrast to this, Beni Prasad states that rights are nothing more or less than those social conditions which necessary or favorable to the development of personality (Ghali, n.d.).  Therefore, citizens’ rights are accepted and straightforward claims, essential for their development as human beings. Some are prominent features of rights are: 

1. Rights are equally available to all people.

2. Rights are rational and moral claims that people make on society. 

3. It is the product of social living. 

4. Rights are absolute; these rights bear limitations deemed essential for maintaining security, public health, order, and morality.

5. The content of rights keeps changing over time. 

6. Your rights are separably related to duties. 

7. Rights need enforcement ( it is the state’s duty to protect the rights of the people).

For the next couple of weeks, the upcoming post will be based on the breach of rights, identifying organizations that can help with rights, the responsibilities of citizens and the police, and what to expect when the police approach both citizens and non-citizens. 

References

Ghali, K. K. (n.d.). Rights: Meaning, Features, and Types of Rights. YourArticleLibrary.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster Dictionary.