There is growing concern in St Ann among lawyers and observers of the justice system about the shortage of judges.
There are now only two judges handing the various cases in the courts of the parish. These include criminal cases, traffic court, tax court and other civil cases in the three court houses in the parish.
The parish did at one time have four judges but that went down to three sometime ago. Then last month, with the calling of senior parish judge Andrea Thomas to the Supreme Court, there are only two judges serving the three courts of St Ann — St Ann’s Bay, Brown’s Town and Claremont.
Attorneys have been asking about when at least a third judge will be named for the parish as cases have been backing up. “There is no shortage of people to appoint,” said one attorney speaking on condition of anonymity. “There are many people in the DPP’s office more than qualified to serve as Parish Judge.”
Recently the DPP’s office indicated it was facing a shortage of prosecutors though approval had been granted to the office to take on staff.
Other attorneys have pointed out what one called the “unfortunate circumstance’ of cases now being set for mention in May,June and July next year. These dates are being given not for trial but in mention cases.
Also, attorneys have been pointing out their frustration with judges having to handle long civil and criminal lists together in the two large courts,Brown’s Town and St Ann’s Bay. Increasingly, the criminal and civil courts are combined and one court room is used for the many civil and criminal cases.
“It’s a scandal and disgrace,” said one. “In addition to the shortage of judges there is no space. You know the courtroom called the box at St Ann’s Bay. You are almost sitting with the judge,”
Lawyers who spoke to the North Coast Times said the present situation is continuing the worsening of the court system in St Ann which in recent years lost the court in Ocho Rios. Before that the courts at Moneague and Cave Valley were closed. That has meant fuller existing court houses and longer distances for some litigants to travel.
That has put more pressure on the facilities at St Ann’s Bay that have not been improved or increased. For yearsnow court officers have said a new court house is needed in St Ann but no decision has been made about one. On top of it all, said one attorney, “we are not even a pressure group anymore.” He said the Northern Law Society was pretty near defunct.
Other judges from other parishes have also been coming to assist at the parish’s court. It is understood that one judge came as far as Manchester to sit at the Claremont Parish Court last week.
