More efficient use of judges and not simply more of them may be the solution to the inordinate delay people in Barbados are experiencing in order to get justice.
With the justice system facing increasing criticisms over how long it takes to get decisions from the courts, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, himself an attorney at law, has made it clear he will not be a party to any never-ending increase in judges.
“When people have to wait for inordinate periods of time for judicial decisions, sometimes we tend to forget that there are actual flesh and blood interests being affected by those delays. People can’t get on with their lives and people can’t make other decisions that are dependent on the outcome of judicial determinations,” he told a news conference in Toronto, Canada, yesterday.
“That is an issue that is receiving my attention as Prime Minister of Barbados. I have responsibility for the judiciary.”
He, however, made it clear that he didn’t believe the call by former president of the Barbados Bar Association Andrew Pilgrim for the appointment of additional judges would solve the problem of delays.
“I hear that (suggestion) but quite frankly I do not know that more judges are going to make the situation any better,” he said. “I think what we need to do is to look at what we have been doing and how we have been doing it and try to make more efficient use of the resources we have now.”
