Virtual hearings will be rolled out at two Magistrates’ Courts from next month, in what Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley described as a step toward modernising Barbados’ criminal justice system.
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Speaking as guest speaker at the Barbados Labour Party’s Christ Church East branch’s annual general meeting at St Christopher Primary School yesterday, Lashley said the technology, first used in the courts during the COVID-19 pandemic, would return in a more permanent form.
“We are going to implement the use of technology through Zoom hearings at District “C” Magistrates’ Court and one of the District “A” Magistrates’ Court,” he told the audience, adding that the rollout would happen in phases starting the second week of September.
The minister argued the move would ease pressure on an overburdened system, particularly in matters such as those accused on 28-day remand in custody.
“It cuts off transportation costs, it saves tremendous judicial time, and a court doesn’t have to be physical to be virtual,” he stated, noting that families and attorneys would still be able to follow proceedings remotely via a Zoom link sent to the prison.
Wider fight
Lashley said he expected the Magistrates’ Courts to eventually move fully onto a digital, paperless platform, similar to a model he encountered in Jamaica.
Turning to the wider fight against gun crime, the Minister praised The Barbados Police Service’s new leadership.
“I really want to compliment the new Commissioner of Police [Sonia Boyce]. I believe that she’s doing an excellent job,” he highlighted.
He reported that, since January, 66 firearms and 1 692 rounds of ammunition have been taken off the streets, with 29 people charged in connection with those offences.
Lashley, the Member of Parliament for the City of Bridgetown, spoke to the ruling Barbados Labour Party’s manifesto pledge to establish two gun courts; one to clear the existing backlog and one to handle new firearms cases from January onward.
He said he wants firearm charges resolved within six months, given that most witnesses in such cases are police officers rather than civilians who need to be located.
“A man is entitled to have his trial within a reasonable time,” he said.
Lashley also referenced the newly passed anti-gang legislation, which sets strict penalties for gang leaders who recruit minors and for anyone who harbours known gang members. “Harbouring a criminal, by itself, to my mind, is really a slap in the face of justice,” he said, adding that the law was designed to protect vulnerable young men from being pulled into gangs and would be backed by public education campaigns.
A forthcoming domestic terrorism bill, he added, is meant to close gaps left by the Public Order Act,
which he said “does not have the tentacles and the reach” to deal with certain violent public offences.
The Minister also pointed to pleabargaining legislation and the criminal proceedings bill, as tools already easing court backlogs. He called for greater community policing, engaging churches, schools and other groups to help rebuild trust and gather evidence.
(DDS)