Despite the increase in the size of the criminal bench, the number of serious matters to be tried remains a major concern to Government.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall, shared this concern today, as he delivered remarks at the Symposium on Criminal Justice Reform in Barbados, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael.
Mr. Marshall told his audience, including Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and former Chief Justice Sir David Simmons, that the statistics on matters awaiting trial received at the end of last January from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), “are instructive”.
“Murders – 94; manslaughter – 7; [and] firearm offences – 287. Of the murder charges, the oldest relates to a homicide committed in 2007; of the manslaughter charges, the oldest relates to a homicide committed in 2012, [and] of the firearm offences, the oldest relates to a possession offence in 2003,” he disclosed.
The Attorney General said the system had been plagued with delays. “These delays have had the knock-on effect of persons having been charged with serious offences, including homicides, being granted bail after spending an undue period of time on remand, only to come out, allegedly commit further serious offences (again including homicides), being remanded, and then getting bail again. These occurrences have had a deleterious effect on society…,” he stated.
He noted that in addition to increasing the criminal bench from five to eight judges, Government had provided the resources to expand the prosecutors in the Office of the DPP, and also created an additional post of Deputy Registrar (Criminal Division).
During his remarks, Mr. Marshall underscored the importance of the one-day symposium, saying a candid discussion on criminal justice reform was long overdue. He expressed the view that all must work together if the Criminal Justice System was to work efficiently in delivering justice.
He told those gathered that their task during the important meeting was to identify challenges and determine how to address them.
“In addition to identifying the issues and solutions, I expect that a key deliverable will be the establishment of a Criminal Justice Sector Committee to monitor implementation of the initiatives and decisions that we make today, and also to constantly receive feedback from all stakeholders.
“Part of their responsibility will be to bring the stakeholders to the table, as necessary, and discuss the issues, to settle what is needed to give effect to these decisions and what is needed to enable them to achieve our targets,” the Attorney General explained.
The one-day symposium was organised by the Office of the Attorney General, and participants included members of the judiciary and magistracy, the Barbados Bar Association and civil society.