KINGSTON, Jamaica —The Court Administration Division (CAD) is reassuring the public that court records remain fully intact following the recent passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Director of Client Services, Communications and Information, Kadiesh Jarrett-Fletcher, noted that both digital and physical systems are in place to safeguard court documents.

“I know persons would be concerned about the records and their matters, especially if their matters started to be heard… and [want to know] where those files are. We want to assure members of the public that the records of the court remain intact, because we have a combination of electronic and physical filings. So, thankfully, we were able to secure the records of the courts,” she told JIS News.

Jarrett-Fletcher further noted that connectivity challenges are being managed as effectively as possible under the varied circumstances.

“Most of the courts had generators, and we were able to refuel those to have them up and running to facilitate electrical connectivity at the courts,” she pointed out.

Electricity has been restored to several town areas in the western parishes where courts are located, reducing reliance on generators.

“In terms of the Starlink, some of the courts have [access] and we were able to deploy others to get the connectivity up,” Jarrett-Fletcher further indicated.

She expressed confidence in the progress being made to restore normalcy to court operations.

“The connectivity is still a small challenge. But I believe that we are weathering that quite well with the Starlink and, of course, with the service providers who have started to resume service to those parishes,” Jarrett-Fletcher said.

The CAD continues to monitor conditions at court facilities across the island to ensure that operations remain accessible and uninterrupted.

— JIS