Transcripts Will Be Delivered Within Days By Year End – Justice Minister

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says by the end of the year the court system will be equipped with technology for the delivery of transcripts within days.

Delivering the keynote address at the National Conference on Technology in the Justice System, at the AC Hotel in St. Andrew on February 27, Mr. Chuck said the audiovisual system will also be in all the courts.

“This technology will make it possible for cases not only to be finished quickly but also when a transcript is needed, or when an appeal is to be heard, it can be done in weeks rather than years,” the Minister said.

The three-day conference, which ends on March 1, is seeking to chart the development of a strategic framework for the digitalisation of Jamaica’s justice system, by addressing a number of themes – ‘Justice in the Digital Economy’, ‘Technology in the Courts and Justice Sector’, and ‘Technology and Alternative Dispute Resolution Services’.

“We need to use the technology to save resources and to enhance the security of the system,” Mr. Chuck said, adding that he envisions a time in the near future when the court system will be paperless.

The Minister noted that an improved audiovisual system will be unveiled soon, to be sponsored by the European Union (EU), which will enable members of the public, where appropriate, to view court sessions via live stream.

Recently, with support from the Canadian Government, the Attorney General’s Chambers was furnished with technologically advanced equipment as part of a programme to significantly boost the efficiency of the Government’s various legal activities, and to achieve modernisation and meaningful reform in the justice sector.

The items provided included several state-of-the-art laptops, desktop computers, a server and a multimedia projector.

 In addition to the new audiovisual system and infrastructural work to be done on courthouses as part of the modernisation of the justice sector, the Government has also initiated the necessary legislative framework to ease the burden on the court system, such as the new Arbitration Act, the amendments to the Criminal Justice (Plea Negotiations and Agreement) Act and the Restorative Justice Bill.