My Two Cents » Fix Jamaica Justice System : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Fix Jamaica Justice System

I have noted recently that the government has announced a plan to extend the court facilities to the former National Commercial Bank (NCB) building on Barry Street which was purchased by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC). The plan is to expand justice square and to add additional court rooms as well as adding more registries. A significant amount of cash is being invested into this project in an effort to ensure that access to the justice system is more readily available.

An efficient judicial system is one of the requisites for an economy to grow as disputes that arise when doing business need to have a speedy resolution. However as good as the intentions may be one does not fix a problem by simply throwing money at it. One can spend significant sums improving the facilities but this alone will not ensure the success of the project. In business one soon learns that the most important factor in achieving success is to have good systems in place.

The problems with our justice system will not be resolved with cash alone. One of the factors contributing to the poor system is the continual postponement of cases for which in many cases there is no reasonable cause for delay. Having more judges will not fix the problem if they do not hold the lawyers accountable. Everyone who has ever been to court or served on jury duty will testify to the number of cases that were put off to later dates. For the system to work cases need to be heard more quickly.

In addition the court system is highly dependent on other government sectors to supply important information to the process. The criminal system needs forensic evidence and the department that does the work is under staffed and backlogged up to two years. For matters related to family court there is a need for a report from children services and it is often the case that these reports are often not present at court time or are inadequately done. Similarly many cases require a report from the police station and these reports are not forthcoming on a timely basis.

An important point of achieving success in business is that all parts of the system must be working well and must work together. Thus; in order to fix the justice system all other support systems must be upgraded as well. Failure to do so will result in the expected goals not being achieved. When one is operating with limited resources it is even more important to see that the system is working well otherwise the money that is spent will go to waste.

I know of many businesses that have failed due to the lack of proper systems; it is not my desire to see the justice system become one.

Older Entries

Newer Entries

The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
The Gleaner reserves the right not to publish comments that may be deemed libelous, derogatory or indecent.
To respond to The Gleaner please use the feedback form.

7 Responses to “Fix Jamaica Justice System”

Ares says:

May 31, 2011 at 11:55 am

There is a point I would like to add to this article. We need to put in place plans to educate our people. I would suggest that law be thought at the primary and secondary levels in schools. This along with what is already been said on the article would improve the justice system dramatically as the young generations coming up would know the laws of the land and therefore you would see a reduction in crimes and violence in our society.
Jo Bent says:

June 1, 2011 at 2:39 pm

If non of our major leaders R arrested and prisoned for crimes & corruptions nothing has/will changed
John says:

June 2, 2011 at 12:31 pm

The estabkishment of a well oiled efficient and timely court machinery is the foundation of the justice and without it we are going to on and on in the same well worn rut. Why if the DPP spends so much time in preparing a case when it gets to court more delay sets in.
Perhaps it is time for Judges to question this and be issuing contempt notices when witnesse, police or otherwise waste the courts time.By not doing so they are allowing these people to disrespect both the judiciary and the people that they should be serving.
guest says:

June 2, 2011 at 7:09 pm

yes thats a system,that needs fixing, now for years..i have a couple friends who have had very bad experiences in that jamaica injustice system..these people have still not forgotten enough to ever return and spend there money in jamaica..one friends rented car was hit by a chinese couple,just a day before he was to return to usa,but to his surprise the chinese smell money from the rental,they was able to navigate the courts for a little crooked mandeville jamaican black judge to keep a kangaroo thing the same day,while the friend left the following day,heard it later on that they won the case,meaning the corrupt police gave a bogus report,or just word of mouth..and thus chiney mon and his wife was able to collect big bucks,and show even they have more rights and contact in the corrupt courts than the majority jamaicans..thats a turn off for anybody..this friend and family has not returned to that island since..
Odane Hamilton says:

June 3, 2011 at 5:40 am

I agree.
Michael Wilson says:

June 3, 2011 at 8:15 pm

I wish to agree with the article above that all agencies that are involved with the justice system needs to do a better job of preparation and have their relevant piece prepared and ready when required to have a smooth flowing justice system. But I also wish to add that even though the Justice System is being upgraded I wonder how interested and committed is the Government to improvements within the System.
I have worked in both the Civil Registry and the Criminal Registry and have had very high positions in both. I have gotten along well with the Judges, kept my head to the grind stone and given my best to facilitate the smooth flow of the Justice system. I have left, Obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems, a Master Degree in Information Systems Management,and an Associates Degree in Applied Science as a Database Specialist and do you know the Government and Private Sector Organizations of Jamaica refuses to hire me, even though I am willing to return back to the Supreme Court and continue in the Clerical Position I left at just to facilitate a more efficient Justice System. How seriously is Brucey’s Government really committed to improvements in the Justice System. Lets see
ceo says:

June 4, 2011 at 7:30 am

Fix it!!?
For whose sake?
It aint broke, it is working fine and serving its creators and sustainers.
if you have not benefitted, it was not meant for you!!!