Published 23 October 2023
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St Kitts and Nevis News Source
Criminal Justice Reform is high on the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs’ agenda towards transforming our Federation into a Sustainable Island State. Right now, victims of crime and accused persons simply wait too long for justice to be served.
Whilst we are hard at work on reforming some of our outdated criminal justice laws, we’ve been simultaneously tapping into regional and international partnerships to guide us to long term sustainable solutions for the benefit of our people.
I am therefore proudly representing our Federation at the Official Launch of the Partnership of the Caribbean and the European Union on Justice (PACE Justice) Project and the related CCJ Academy for Law 7th Biennial Conference, being held in Barbados this week.
The UNDP-administered and EU-funded PACE Justice Project will benefit St Kitts & Nevis immensely by enhancing the institutional capacities of our prosecutors, courts, police and prisons to manage criminal cases effectively and efficiently.
The CCJ Academy Conference has brought jurists and court professionals from around the world under the theme “Criminal Justice Reform in the Caribbean: Achieving a Modern Criminal Justice System”.
I’ve learned so much already about how Plea Negotiations, Judge Only Trials and Modern Case Management Mechanisms can speed up the justice process from charge to sentencing. Today, we discuss Anti-Gang Legislation, Victims’ Rights and other Backlog Reduction Strategies, et al.
With PACE now active, the lessons learned from this CCJ conference, and the soon to be launched Access to Justice Agency (AJASKN), our Federation is well positioned to ensure that every citizen and resident has access to a fair modern efficient criminal justice system .
In the first photo: L-R are CCJ President, Hon. Mr Adrian Justice Saunders, Hon. Attorneys-General of Barbados and Saint Lucia, and CCJ Judge Hon. Mr Winston Anderson.
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