Chief Justice Bryan Sykes has emphasized the urgent need for new court buildings across several parishes.

He said many courts across Jamaica, particularly in Manchester, St Ann, Trelawney, St Thomas, St Mary, St James, Westmoreland, Kingston and St Andrew and Portland, require more than just maintenance—they need entirely new facilities.

Sykes who was speaking at a press conference on Monday, October 14, said: “In about three instances, the court shares the facility with a municipal corporation, they own the building. Let us take for example St Ann. The Parish Court in St Ann is the property of the municipal council.

“As I am speaking to you here, it is the desire of the council to expand its offices to come into the space occupied by the courtrooms. They need additional space, not to take up all of the courtrooms because they too have recognised the need to expand their space to provide services to the people who elected them,” Sykes shared.

He said there are other instances where courts are owned by third parties such as in St Catherine or Manchester, which is located on a plaza which places them at a limitation in service delivery.

Regarding the Hanover Parish Court, he indicated that it requires extensive maintenance, necessitating capital works beyond the resources of the Court Administration Division (CAD).

Additionally, Sykes stressed that if Portmore is to become Jamaica’s 15th parish, it will need a proper court facility to support its growing population and legal needs.