Durrant Pate/ Contributor

The backlog of cases at the island’s parish courts is close to being eliminated, which is remarkable progress in several key indicators related to the administration of Justice in Jamaica.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck made the announcement during his Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives this week.

He told the parliament, “Today, we have less than 2% backlog. International standards state that once you are below the threshold of 5%, you are considered backlog-free. This is a historic achievement. As we continue to advance justice, we can now say that more than 70% of the 12 parish court cases are now completed within 12 months. Today, the justice system is undeniably more efficient and responsive.”

Noting that this is a critical part of the journey towards a more just and safer Jamaica, Chuck highlighted the marked increase in the number of judges as an example of the government’s efforts at advancing justice in the country. He said the numbers speak for themselves, given that the complement of judges has been beefed up on all fronts and expanded their capacity to meet growing demands. 

Details of increase in cadre of judges

In the Court of Appeal, the complement of judges has been increased from six to 13. In the Supreme Court, the number has moved from 32 to 42 and in the parish court, the number went from 50 to 78, while Masters in Chambers at the Supreme Court has increased to eight from three. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions also saw a significant increase in the number of its prosecutors.

Chuck congratulated Chief Justice Bryan Sykes and the judges, who continue to deliver justice in a timely and forthright manner. 

Minister Chuck pointed to the remarkable progress in several key indicators related to the administration of Justice such as the timely payment of judgment debts, the processing of attorney claims, the support to the General Legal Council, the growth in the number of judges and the expanded cadre of prosecutors at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. 

Judgment debts being paid out timely

On the matter of judgment debts, Chuck told the parliament that his ministry is proud to declare that it has paid almost $7 billion, which is a far cry from the dismal situation it inherited in 2016. “By resolving these longstanding and perennial financial obligations, we have restored confidence in Jamaica’s legal system to pay its debt to successful litigants. Similarly, legal aid lawyers are no longer forced to wait months for their payments,” the minister advised.

Chuck also advised that his ministry is now in a position where its team members ask attorneys to submit their claims on time to facilitate payments due to them within the fiscal year. He also reported that for the last three years, the Justice Ministry has been supporting the General Legal Council to the tune of $43.5 million.

In addition, ISO preparation is underway for the Court of Appeal, the Gun Court and the Court Administration Division as the judiciary’s technology integration and modernisation activities included the funding of infrastructure upgrading to the tune of $187 million has commenced with the implementation of an integrated human resource system that will facilitate improved data management. 

Since 2016, the Justice Ministry has spent almost $4 billion on the establishment and renovation of the island’s courts with the vision of progressing continuously towards becoming the Caribbean’s pre-eminent first-class justice system. The aim is to make the island’s 15 courts, many of which are over 100 years old, upgraded or replaced.