Mandeville, Manchester — Leading Manchester attorney Howard Lettman has raised fresh concerns about infrastructural problems at the 199-year-old courthouse in Mandeville.

Speaking to the Jamaica Observer Central in the context of Circuit Court sessions, which ended recently, Lettman said the already cramped and ancient structure has become an even more difficult working environment.

“When Circuit Court is in session, it naturally affects the parish court cases,” he said.

Lettman said he was aware of plans by the Ministry of Justice to ensure better conditions for staff to work and members of the public to access court services. He is hoping those improvements will come soon.

“Something has to be done soon,” said Lettman, noting that in addition to the less than ideal infrastructural conditions, there is need for more judges to speed up the process.

Circuit Court sessions opened in Manchester on October 10, and Lettman described the four weeks that were set aside to hear at least 139 cases as totally inadequate.

“That is nothing new, but we need a minimum of 6-8 weeks for circuit. [The Circuit Court session now is just] limping along as it usually does,” he said.

An authoritative source told Observer Central that far more than half of the cases, which were scheduled to be heard, will have to be carried over to the next circuit.

There are long-standing proposals for a new courthouse to be built on land donated many years ago by bauxite/alumina company Alpart, at Kingsland, just west of Mandeville.

Under that plan the historic courthouse building in Mandeville would be turned into a museum.

Outgoing Mayor of Mandeville Brenda Ramsay has told Observer Central that the removal of the courthouse would assist the sustainable and orderly development of the town centre.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck appeared to suggest in mid-year that he is in support of that proposal.

“The Mandeville Courthouse needs to become a museum; the columns are barely holding up,” he told journalists back then, during a visit to Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth.

Chuck said at the time that he was moving swiftly to find additional space to be rented at the centre of Mandeville for court offices and courtroom sessions. While Chuck did not identify the building, sources at the time said it was a two-storey structure on Hotel Street, close to the courthouse. However, sources suggested recently that those plans hit a snag and may have fallen by the wayside.

Over the long term Chuck has plans to build a new courthouse on the donated land through partnership with the business sector.

— Alicia Sutherland