KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Chief Justice Byran Skyes says the courts here continue to progress in clearing case backlogs. For example, in the Court of Appeal, for every 100 new cases, approximately 111 cases are disposed of.
“According to the statisticians, if you maintain that for about three years, then that becomes your new baseline from which you can push on for greater efficiency,” Chief Justice Sykes said at the swearing-in ceremony to appoint judges to higher office.
He described 2023 as a “reasonable year for the judiciary” and that the parish courts confirmed their backlog-free status “but that there is still room for improvement because, ultimately, persons want their matters disposed of in the shortest possible time.”
The Chief Justice said the data indicate that the parish court sits an average of three hours out of a maximum of five hours per day, which means that two hours need to be more utilized, and cases can be brought forward to fill that gap.
Regarding the Supreme Court, he said, “Much work needs to be done there.
“On average, over the last five years, we take in 13,420 cases per year and disposed of only 8,765, so that tells you that there is a backlog being carried forward, and it gets worse each year,” he added.
The Chief Justice said a structural review of the Supreme Court’s civil registry will commence this month and is expected to be completed before the end of the term to increase efficiency.
“It will be sent to the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service for the structure to be approved, and then we’ll get the go-ahead now to begin the recruitment of the posts that will be created there,” the Chief Justice said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Justice says International Organization of Standardization (ISO) certification is being pursued for some court processes.
“Again, it’s holding ourselves to international standards because what the ISO certification will do is force us to document our processes, publicize them, police them internally, because when you receive the certification, you want to maintain it,” he told the Jamaica Information Service (JIS).
“So, you will have to demonstrate that over time, you are not only acting by your stated standards, but if shortcomings are identified, you have to demonstrate that you are working on and improving those shortcomings. By the end of 2024, we should see improved service delivery from all our courts.”
The Chief Justice said that the Jamaican judiciary had become a member of the International Consortium for Court Excellence, noting that this is an international organization dedicated to improving the efficiency of courts.
“So, both from a qualitative standpoint and from a quantitative standpoint, we will be benefiting from the interaction with courts from different legal systems, different parts of the world, and consequently, what we are doing is holding ourselves accountable by meeting international standards,” Justice Sykes said.
He said that as part of the process to become a member of the International Consortium for Court Excellence, an internal survey of the judiciary was conducted “to get a benchmark as to where we are.
“The areas that need improvement, we have to develop and submit a plan of improvement to the organization, and then if you are accepted as a member… you have to demonstrate, with data, that you are addressing the areas of weakness that the survey identified,” he said, adding that he is expecting continued improvement within the judicial system for 2024.
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