Belize's justice system is moving forward with eliminating the backlog of cases and preventing it from building up again with criminal mediation. In certain cases, having a neutral mediator can facilitate negotiations between a complainant and a respondent, so that the matter doesn't bog down the courts.
39 persons inside and outside the justice system participated in a criminal mediation training, and were awarded their certificates today. Here's a snippet of the ceremony from the High Court.
Louise Blenman, Chief Justice
"I would say that if we're able to introduce criminal mediation in the high court, it would make a world of a difference because there are some matters that are coming before the court that really or properly not should not be going to full trial."
"And these are matters that we expect would receive attention of criminal mediation. I am very pleased that judges, magistrates, registrars, and other trained mediators benefited from this excellent court and mediation training."
"And I want to place a record that I'm very pleased with the quality of work, the commitment and the leadership of our judges generally, and the fact that I'm saying that we need mediation doesn't indicate that we want to take work away from them, but because they are so overworked and in any event, any system to work and function properly, you must have mediation."
"As I said to you, it is wrong that so many cases are going to full trial. We expect that once the requisite mechanisms are put in place, you will be able to use the training to help reduce the backlogs both in the magistrates and in the senior courts."
Dr. Sharmayne Saunders, Training Coordinator, UWI
"Some immediate actions proposed, the utilization of trained mediators, of course, to integrate them into the justice system without delay, and I know we're currently working on the practice guidelines and other matters related to this, but this will allow for mediators to apply their skills and demonstrate the value of criminal mediation as an effective alternative dispute resolution method."
"The senior courts should prioritize scheduling cases for mediation and actively promote its benefit to the legal community and to the public. Monitoring and support mechanism, a structured system would need to be created to monitor the progress and the performance of newly trained mediators."
"The system would include ongoing mentorship, opportunities for peer collaboration, and access to further professional development, this is where UWI comes in, and ensuring the sustainability of their skills and long-term success of the mediation program."
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