ST JAMES, Jamaica — Minister of Justice and Legal and Constitutional Affairs Delroy Chuck has commended parish court judges for their success in reducing the backlog of cases.

Chuck noted that the achievement reflects the judiciary’s commitment to delivering timely justice.

“I want to congratulate you for the tremendous work, especially at the parish court level, that you have done to reduce the backlog. The Chief Justice, the Hon. Justice Bryan Sykes, has determined that backlog should be a thing of the past at all levels,” the minister said.

He was addressing day two of the Learning and Growth Session with the judiciary, held on Saturday at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny.

The three-day event runs from September 19 to 21 under the theme ‘Partnering to Transform Justice: Advancing Fairness, Efficiency and Public Trust.’

Chuck pointed out that the use of data in the justice system, is central to achieving greater efficiency and accountability.

“The chief justice is a statistician, he likes to see the data, and so do I. What the chief justice is doing, I fully support, because he wants Jamaica’s court system to be the best in the Caribbean, and one of the best in the world,” he said.

The minister noted that the chief justice closely monitors the performance of the courts, recognising those that meet or surpass the 100 per cent case clearance rate.

He added that the awarding of top-performing parish courts, has encouraged healthy competition and reinforced the mandate to dispose of matters as quickly as possible.

Chuck said the ministry stands ready to provide support to the judiciary in ensuring that courts continue to meet and exceed their performance targets.

Also in attendance at the session was newly sworn in minister of state in the ministry, Marisa Dalrymple Philibert.

—JIS