Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin, Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith and Justice Shona Griffith - all names we usually only hear about in court stories. But today, they didn't hear or try any case -that's because they were all at their annual Magistrates Retreat. Today all the Magistrates Courts countrywide were closed for this gathering. Now while "retreat" implies that it's all about relaxing and taking a break from their stressful and rigid work routine - that wasn't all that the court officials did. Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith told us about some of the very important technical discussions they had on court procedures and on challenges affecting the court system.
In terms of the setbacks in the court system, Smith also explained that they are moving toward a technological approach to dealing with these cases - one of those approaches is to record statements instead of having written notes which can be misplaced or aren't always decipherable. Smith explained how this method can speed up court proceedings and improve efficiency.
The meeting continues tomorrow. Those who had cases scheduled for today need to report to court on Monday.
Email
Print