By Robert A Emmanuel
Antigua and Barbuda is among eight Caribbean countries set to benefit from a new United Nations initiative to strengthen the region’s judicial system.
The Partnership of the Caribbean and European Union on Justice (PACE Justice) regional programme was officially launched in Barbados Tuesday, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
It seeks to reduce the backlog of cases in the criminal justice system by increasing the capacity of prosecutors, courts, prisons and police across the region.
Speaking at the launch, Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Justice Janice Pereira, stated that “efficient access to justice is being severely undermined across the region by multiple systemic points of delay within several key stages”.
“Foundationally, we anticipate that this project will expand access to justice, while strengthening the rule of law, human rights and the equitable administration of justice in the Caribbean,” she said.
The Chief Justice explained that Caribbean courts have faced issues dealing with outdated legislation and modes of practice, and lack of optimisation of technology that have impacted the public’s access to justice.
She said justice sector improvements have long been a priority for the region.
“This has been occasioned by a keenly felt lack of human and technological resources which has stymied the work of investigators, public prosecutors and the courts.
“The unfortunate domino effect which ensues is that we now face concerningly high numbers of prisoners on remand for extended periods, for as long as six years in some instances,” she added.
In 2020, a UNDP Judicial Needs Assessment was conducted in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago on the justice system which preceded this PACE project launch.
At the time, Ambassador Aubrey Webson said that the backlog of cases could be attributed to— among other issues—slow investigation conducted by the police and delays in the deposition process.
This was supported by the UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Resident Representative, Limya Eltayeb, at the PACE launch.
“The 2020 UNDP assessment report also states that those on remand account for more than 20 percent of all prisoners, with that rate exceeding 50 percent in some instances,” Eltayeb reported.
At the launch, the Chief Justice said the project will procure locally owned, purpose-built software for the police, the prison and the courts.
“This cross-sectional approach will automate information sharing between different institutions of the justice sector, and provide the police, Directors of Public Prosecutions, lawyers and the courts with efficient access to updates on case information, evidence, filings and events,” she noted.
The funding for the project will total 10.31 million euros (EC$29.3 million) with the European Union expected to provide 9.75 million euros (EC$27.7 million).
It is expected to be completed in March 2027.
