Digital justice here to stay — Chief Justice Janice Pereira

Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) Dame Janice Pereira has praised the efficiency and innovation of the judicial system as it continues to adapt to the era of COVID-19.

In an address to mark the opening of the 2022 law year, Justice Pereira said the pandemic has pushed the court into ‘survival mode’ and noted that the move to administer justice through digital platforms and other innovations was a ‘much-welcomed transformation’. 

The Chief Justice, who is serving in the post for her final year, said these platforms and innovations have now become significant and essential features of the court system as it moves forward.

She posited that even as the pandemic becomes a distant memory, the region’s economic survival requires that it adapts to and takes full advantage of the ICT (Information and communication technologies) revolution.

“At this stage, the essential question is what will our justice system resemble in the next five or even 10 years? It is, I think fair to say, that as COVID-19 lingers on, and even beyond the pandemic, digitally-driven courts will be critical to the continued administration of justice. Courts around the world have arrived at the same conclusion that digitally operated courts and services are here to stay,” Justice Pereira said. 

The Chief Justice said that in looking towards the future with the lessons of COVID-19, the court now seeks to implement new and improved measures to ensure the continuity of its work and the dispensation of justice in and beyond the COVID-19 era.

Improving accessibility 

Justice Pereira, a Virgin Gorda native, said the court must constantly innovate and reimagine its modus operandi in order to maintain its commitment to providing effective and efficient access to an independent and accountable system of justice for the benefit of all persons within its member states and territories. 

This was particularly important in the recognition that a modern and responsive judicial system is at the core of all social and economic development.

According to the Chief Justice, this will involve continued reforms of existing processes and procedures, all aimed at improving the court’s accessibility, efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of justice in a post-COVID world. 

The theme for this year’s address was, “The ECSC: Re-imagining the justice system in the era of COVID-19 and beyond” and Justice Pereira said the theme reflects the court’s sense of duty to the people it serves daily.