High Level Deliberations for Implementation of Criminal Case Management

Thursday February 6, 2014 was the commencement of several days of deliberations and consultations as high-level members of the country’s justice sector and Canadian experts converged at the Jamaica Conference Center, Downtown Kingston to hold discussions on issues facing the sector, chief among them was the implementation of criminal case management, as well  as to identify strategies and solutions on the way forward.

Led by consultants of the Canadian justice system, major players of the sector assembled to begin a series of discussions and a workshop to move the agenda of the justice system forward, with criminal case management and its continued implementation by the island’s courts, as a priority. This activity paved the way for a three day workshop which began on Friday February 7, 2014 at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Hotel. The workshop which was attended by Judges, Resident Magistrates and court staff, focused on the timely disposal of criminal matters before the courts through the full implementation of the Criminal Case Management System. This system is designed to significantly reduce the growing case backlog currently plaguing the courts.

These consultative meetings are an initiative undertaken through the partnership of the Court Management Services and the Justice Reform Implementation Meeting (JRIU) in the Ministry of Justice to move the agenda Justice Undertaking for Social Transformation Programme (Just) forward, in order to help rectify many of the problems facing the justice sector.

The JUST Programme is funded by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to provide support to the Jamaican justice sector reform initiative now underway.