KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck has declared that there will be a systematic drive to dispose of the majority of cases by way of guilty pleas rather than dragging matters through the courts given the challenge of an ever expanding case load in the nation’s courts.

The minister, who was speaking on the weekend at a Clerk Induction Seminar held at the Knutsford Court Hotel, in Kingston, emphasised that through the process of plea bargaining, a sustained backlog reduction framework will take shape.

Chuck also highlighted his vision of having a paperless court system where state of the art technology such as monitors and audio visual equipment would be used so that cases will be tried expeditiously or within a reasonable time.

He told the gathering that the Constitution stipulates that Jamaicans should have trials within a reasonable time and “a reasonable time should not be years”.

The seminar was attended by some 33 participants, which included clerks of court, judges, policemen and prosecutors. It was held to finalise a guide for clerks of court to carry out their functions in a standardised format to ensure that there is consistency and quality delivery of service.

Held over a three-day period, the workshop was organised and facilitated by the Justice Undertakings for Social Transformation – JUST programme, which is a bilateral project (funded by Global Affairs Canada) between the Government of Jamaica and Canada. The Department of Justice, Canada organized the training. Critical administrative support was given by the Court Management Services – CMS.    

Clerks of the Court are legally trained personnel who prosecute matters in the Parish Courts, formerly the Resident Magistrate’s Courts.