Opposition Spokesperson on Justice, Zuleika Jess, is pointing to what she calls a crisis in the court system in western Jamaica, in particular in the parishes hardest-hit by Hurricane Melissa last October.

Jess, in her maiden presentation in the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, called attention to the matter and accused Justice Minister Delroy Chuck of incompetence.

“We cannot talk about a fair and accessible justice system when the physical infrastructure of our courts is an absolute disgrace,” Jess declared.

According to her, “seven months after Hurricane Melissa, the justice system in St Elizabeth and Westmoreland isn’t recovering—it is battering for life”.

She told the House that she must speak “on behalf of the judges, the court staff, the attorneys and the thousands of ordinary Jamaicans who are being forced to search for justice in ruins”.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for St Elizabeth North West noted that the historic Black River Courthouse was battered by the hurricane.

“And what was this ministry’s brilliant emergency plan? To cram the displaced staff into the Santa Cruz Courthouse like livestock,” she remarked.

She said the conditions at the Santa Cruz facility are “utterly degrading”.

Jess also said that in January, court staff were “driven to absolute fury” because they were forced to work in a building with no running water. “No water for sanitation, no water for dignity”.

“How can this administration boast about a modern justice system when our court workers cannot even wash their hands? Under this government, the wheels of justice aren’t just turning slowly—they are grinding to a dirty halt,” said Jess.

The first-term MP also claimed that under Chuck’s watch, the security infrastructure for the courts has completely collapsed. She related an incident months ago in Santa Cruz where it was reported in the newspaper that a member of the public barged into the court office and grabbed a box of legal files that had been rescued from Black River. Jess noted that it took the court staff themselves—ordinary workers, not trained security personnel—to physically fight off the intruder and knock the files from his hands. She also noted that this happened just a stone’s throw from the Santa Cruz Police Station.

“When civilian court staff have to physically fight to defend the files, the Ministry of Justice has ceased to be a shield and has become a liability,” Jess stated.

She also noted that the Westmoreland Parish Court is out of commission with the justice minister stating that it would be too costly to repair after stating in November that emergency repairs would have taken place.

Jess told the Parliament that ordinary Jamaicans are bearing the economic cost for the delays.

“Because the Westmoreland court is compromised, ordinary residents are now forced to cross parish lines into Hanover to access the Circuit Court in Lucea.

“Think of the staggering economic punishment this inflicts on the people of Westmoreland. Think of the astronomical expenses for jurors, litigants, and lawyers who must find transportation and meals just to travel back and forth to Lucea day after day,” she said.

According to Jess, “The Ministry has turned the right to a fair trial into an endurance trek. This is not administering justice; this is navigating an obstacle course – or a triathlon where our people have to sometimes swim, ride and run to get justice”.

Speaking directly to Chuck, Jess said: “the minister of justice loves to give lofty speeches about first class justice system and modernisation. But I challenge the Minister today: leave your air-conditioned office in Kingston. Come down to St Elizabeth. Come to Westmoreland. Work in a courthouse with no water. Pay the taxi fare from Savanna-la-Mar to Lucea yourself, and, if and when you find your way, you should tell the people why they must tolerate this incompetence”.

-Lynford Simpson