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Justice Ministry To Roll Out More Virtual Services In Courts

By: , March 3, 2022
Justice Ministry To Roll Out More Virtual Services In Courts
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Minister of Justice the Hon. Delroy Chuck, speaking at the National Service of Thanksgiving which signalled the official start of Restorative Justice Week 2022. The service was held at the Boulevard Baptist Church in Kingston on Sunday (January 30).

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The Justice Ministry is looking to roll out more virtual services in the administration of justice across the island, as more Courts now have broadband connectivity.

Speaking during the sitting of the Standing Finance Committee on Thursday (March 3), Portfolio Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, said all Courts should be connected by broadband, and in due course, all will have improved Internet.

“I know that in some Courts the broadband Internet connectivity has improved significantly. This will allow us to roll out more virtual services within the Parish Courts,” Mr. Chuck said.

In addition, the Minister said for the 2022/23 fiscal year, the Ministry will seek to increase technology in the courts, adding that the Courts will be urged to do more virtual hearings, especially in the Parish Courts.

He pointed out that training of court personnel in the use of technology will also be a focal point for the new fiscal year.

“Many of our elderly judges feel more comfortable writing, but a lot of training is now taking place, so that the judges can, in fact, utilise the virtual hearings. They are also very engaged in what is known as judicial case management, which will assist them in terms of reducing a lot of the processes that you see them writing,” Mr. Chuck said.

He also informed that the Chief Justice, in conjunction with the Court Administration Division, is working to have a paperless system within the Courts.

“We want to move to that situation where you don’t see any paper in the court… you have your laptop, you have your virtual hearings. We want to digitise a lot of the records across all the Parish Courts. If you go to the Parish Courts, you see rooms full of records, and if there is a fire, as happened in Brown’s Town, it’s now lost,” Mr. Chuck said.

He pointed out that over the next fiscal year, “our great hope is that digitisation will begin, and [in] another year or two, we will have no paper in the courts”.

Last Updated: March 3, 2022