Cabinet Approves Creation of Criminal Justice Board to Address Systemic Challenges

Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Criminal Justice Board, a multi-sectoral body tasked with reviewing and proposing solutions to the challenges facing Belize’s criminal justice system. Back in September, the Acting President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, Justice Winston Anderson, was in Belize for a 5-day conference that focused on criminal justice reform.  It is a reform initiative that, if executed correctly, would see the increased efficiency in the criminal justice system through the implementation of the Needham’s Point Declaration of the Caribbean Court of Justice’s Academy of Law.  In his interview with the media back in September, Justice Anderson endorsed the idea of the formation of the Criminal Justice Board for Belize.

Eamon Courtney, Senator, Leader of Government Business: “The purpose of this bill is to increase the efficiency in the judicial system and the idea is to recognize that people who have been rehabilitated, people who have paid their debt to society should be allowed to be reincorporated into society and a criminal record against them being expunged. Having a criminal record Madam President as you know affects many persons applying for jobs, applying for visas and applying for other services when an application form requires you to say “Have you been found guilty of a criminal offense ?” The purpose here is to end the limited number of offenses listed in the act is to expunge those convictions in the circumstances established in the act by the board that will be established by the act. Madam President the purpose of that as I say is to allow those persons who  have served their time and who have been rehabilitated to have their records expunged and therefore the stigma of their conviction would be removed. There is a provision that precludes the disclosure of that person’s conviction after their record has been expunged.”

In September, the Criminal Justice Reform Conference saw the attendance of over one hundred and twenty stakeholders and representatives, including judges, magistrates, attorneys, and senior police officers.