PREFACE<br > Fhis report examines the human rights situation in Jam<br > It is based on information gathered in the course of two tri<br > Jamaica in 1986. The principal delegation included<br > Chevigny， Professor of Law at the New York Unive，-sity St<br > of l，aw and author of Police Power; Lois Whitman， fo:<br > (ieneral Counsel of the New York City Commission on lit<br > Rights and a member of the Americas Watch Committee<br > l~ell Chevigny， Professor of Literature at SUNY-Purchase.<br > mission took place from June 26 through July 4. Lois Wh<br > made a preliminary visit from February 24 through March 6.<br > The Americas Watch investigation came about at the re<br >of the Jamaica Council for Human Rights， a small indeper<br >nrganization set up by a group of Jamaican lawyers in 1<br >which had uncovered over the years a disturbing patter:<br >police abuses -- civilians killed by police at an alarmingly<br >rate， unlawful detentions and beatings by police -- as we<br >appalling conditions in the island s lock-ups and prisons.<br > While in Jamaica， Americas Watch met with human ri<br >activists and lawyers， including Florizelle O Connor，<br >Coordinator of the Jamaica Council for Human Rights; De<br >Daly， Roy Fairclough， Richard Small， tlarold Murray<br >Andrew Rattray. We also met with individuals who had<br >members of their families shot and killed by police or who<br >themselves been unlawfully detained and/or beaten by police.<br >