Operating with just half of its approved staff, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions posted an 89% conviction rate in 2025, Director of Public Prosecutions Clement Joseph reported on Monday.
Joseph disclosed the figures during the Special Sitting to mark the opening of the 2026 law year, as he warned of a rise in serious crime across the jurisdiction. “We are now at 50 percent of our authorized staff,” he said, noting increased incidents involving firearms and sexual violence, “particularly against minor females by grown men.”
Despite staffing constraints, the DPP’s office pursued 47 prosecutions last year and secured 42 convictions from 62 matters overall. The results included convictions for five murders and 20 sexual-offense cases, with nearly three-quarters of those sexual-offense convictions involving minors.
Performance varied across the year’s assize sessions.
During the January assizes, prosecutors recorded a flawless outcome, converting all 10 prosecutions into convictions with no acquittals. Those cases included two murder convictions and seven sexual-offense convictions.
At the May assizes, prosecutors achieved 19 convictions from 20 cases, with only one acquittal recorded alongside three dismissals. The convictions included two murders and four sexual offenses.
The September assizes proved more challenging, yielding 13 convictions from 17 prosecutions, with four acquittals and five dismissals. Convictions during that period included one murder and nine sexual-offense cases.
Joseph commended Shannon Jones-Gittens and her team for their performance during the January assizes, describing their results as deserving of special recognition.
