Injustice! BVI’s night court should return — Moses-Scatliffe
The justice system in the BVI is facing a serious backlog of cases, leaving many residents, especially young persons, without access to the justice they deserve.
This was the position held by Ingrid Moses-Scatliffe, a Territorial At-Large candidate with the Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM), who spoke at a recent Sixth District Town Hall forum.
Moses-Scatliffe said there was urgent need for action to address this issue and also argued that the subject of civics needs to be reintroduced to the local school curriculum so persons can be made aware of their rights.
“We all know that justice delayed is justice denied,” Moses-Scatliffe stated. “It astounds me – and I’m in the legal profession, I see it – that on a daily basis, we have a number of persons coming before the courts. Their matters are being adjourned. They’re being delayed. You have persons on remand for years. Those are major human rights breaches. It is something that has to be fixed now.”
Bring back night court
Moses-Scatliffe pointed out that resources must be at the top of the list in addressing this issue. The court, she said, needs to be properly staffed with magistrates and judges, and an additional criminal high court must be implemented to dispose of the increasing number of cases. She reasoned that this would also help to ensure that individuals receive true justice, and are not caught up in a system that can harm their future prospects.
The former House of Assembly Speaker called for the reimplementation of night court, which was once in place but has since been discontinued. She argued that this would help to alleviate the backlog of cases and ensure that justice is delivered in a timely manner.
”By the time you wait till your matter is heard, the time that you may have spent may actually exceed the penalty for the offence that you have been suspected of committing,” Moses-Scatliffe said. ”So it is something that is dear to my heart because every single day, the breaches that continuously are committed against citizens by the government, it’s heartbreaking because we’re talking about a number of persons but especially a number of young persons coming before the courts. And that is not right.”
”It’s something that we really need to address,” said Moses-Scatliffe. ”I know that the PVIM government would have that at the top of the list so that we can work hand in hand with the Deputy Governor’s Office and the Governor’s Office to ensure that adequate resources are put in place to dispose of because the longer it goes, it’s only a matter of time before the government is going to be held liable and accountable for those breaches. So, we have to deal with it now.”
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
You’re going to be 2nd in command according to the Prophet.
Day court is stressful enough. Who doing night court? Which juror can get paid for that. Which lawyer want to have less of a life than they have already. Which client want to go through that anxiety and lose further sleep at night. Try again.
Any time someone is running and want to be elected they know all the problems and all the answers to fixed the country but as soon as they get elected they forget about everything and focus on corruption and fulling their pockets.
I also think it is stressful for the men and women who been remanded to the prison for a crime they might have not committed for YEARS without the conclusion of a trial. It is stressful for children who now cannot have the benefit of the income made by that parent who is locked up without trial and miss their parents too. Or the other host of issues that detaining a person without a trial bring. Please do not oversimplify this issue, think about if it was you and how just and fair it would be if you were locked up for years without seeing friends or family without trial. It is a violation of people’s human rights!
woman go sit down. we done see through you.
no no no vote for you
night court could reduce the back log…seeing that I once was in the system and had to go to court being told to report for 9am however the cause ain’t get called till after 3pm just sitting in the parking lot waiting.
i not voting for no island women
As a concern parent there’s nothing wrong on having court at night. But there’ll be dangers to have court at night if you do not have proper man power and security, from my prospective and knowledge having two majestrates to carry out the duty of courts will be an idea in my view. If people are being gunned down during the day, then what will you say around the courts at night.
What is the root of cases backing up, is it the lawyers or police, if so we have to find another solution to get it fixed. Most times the lawyers are not ready, they’ll tell you they haven’t had time to read over the case and all that causes back up.
Ingrid gets my vote: I like what I see.
Why not have another building with 3 floors to hear Cases,!
“It astounds me – and I’m in the legal profession, I see it – that on a daily basis, we have a number of persons coming before the courts. Their matters are being adjourned,” said Moses-Scatliff.
A lot of times the matters are adjourned because folks don’t have any legal representation, especially in the Criminal Court where they apply to legal aid and have to await an answer.
Here’s a thought: Instead of being “astounded” by what you see, why not sit in the Magistrate or Criminal Court ever so often and offer your services pro bono? Sometimes we see problems and complain about them when we are in a position to be a part of the solution.
Now i believe what Mitsy was saying about the unfairness in the VIP camp. So esteemed one do you think we didn’t recognized you with this blog?
Lord she looking sweet
Don’t like that idea. These young people with all these guns and a hot temper sending them to Jail in the dark.hmmm.
I must give she a vote!
proposal outlines an AI-powered solution to address problems faced by prosecutors in the courtroom. The legal system is struggling with backlogs, delays, and rising costs, which have significant societal implications. Utilizing AI technology offers a range of benefits to help address these challenges.
Firstly, AI technology can perform legal research quickly and efficiently, enabling prosecutors to identify relevant precedents and statutes to build stronger cases. Secondly, automating various tasks in the courtroom with AI technology can free up prosecutors’ time to focus on other essential tasks. For instance, AI can transcribe court proceedings, eliminating the need for human transcriptionists.
Thirdly, AI technology can analyze large amounts of data to identify patterns not apparent to humans. This analysis of data from past cases can help prosecutors determine the key factors that contribute to successful prosecutions, which can inform their strategy in current cases. Lastly, AI technology can provide recommendations for sentencing guidelines based on various factors, such as the severity of the crime and the defendant’s criminal history. This approach ensures fair and consistent sentencing.
Incorporating AI technology into the courtroom offers benefits that address challenges facing the legal profession and improves efficiency. This solution can have far-reaching positive impacts on the legal system as a whole.
I’m pretty sure you voted for Myron and mark who isn’t a born bvi lander
Everybody just playing politics and talking about stuff none of them can fit on their own. So the best thing you can come up with is night court?