Cameras in the courtroom: CCJ Judge says that we should prep “to open up the courts”

Cameras in the courtrooms: depending on whom you ask, it may be a good thing or a bad thing. The Caribbean Court of Justice often stream cases on its various social media channels. Here in Belize, it’s a bit more difficult because there’s an air of suspicion on the part of court staff and law enforcement when reporters use their devices to take notes during trials. In some cases, the court is asked to greenlight reporters taking their computers into the courts. Justice Winston Anderson of the CCJ was asked his views on the issue and he explained that the courts should be willing to open the courts to the public, save for sensitive cases. Here’s what he said.

Justice Winston Anderson, CCJ Judge: “I think that there are some kinds of proceedings where obviously you want to have in camera. You know if you have for example a sensitive sexual offense case involving children and so on you don’t want that to be revealed but more generally I think we are living in the era of openness and transparency and I think as far as possible judicial officers should be prepared to open up the courts to the view of the public and I’m sure as time goes on that will happen.”