Criminal Justice Reform Conference Kicks Off in Belize City

Over a hundred and twenty representatives from across the criminal justice system assembled in Belize City this morning for the start of a five-day conference on criminal justice reform. Judges, Magistrates, Attorneys, and even senior police officers gathered at the Belize Biltmore Plaza for the opening ceremony of the conference, which is being hosted by the Senior Courts of Belize Judicial Education Institute. The conference will focus on increasing 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. Acting President of the CCJ, Justice Winston Anderson, says that the conference is a first of its kind and praised Belize for leading the implementation of the Needham’s Point Declaration in the region

Justice Winston Anderson, Acting President, CCJ: “A very wonderful thing. I think that Belize represents the tip of the spear in terms of reform. For example, I think that the establishment of the Criminal Justice Board is so very crucial. The Criminal Justice Board, as you may know, is a body which has on it all of the relevant stakeholders in criminal justice. So it is headed by the Chief Justice but it has representatives from the Attorney General’s chambers. It has the Director of Public Prosecutions, it has people from the police, people from the prisons, people from just various sectors in the social community, and forensic department as well. And these core persons come together with an aim of trying to streamline the process for investigating crimes, for prosecuting crimes, and also for sentencing. I think that the fact that they’ve all come together in this way has meant that there has been a vast increase in the rate in which these criminal trials have been prosecuted. We had this morning information that in seven months, seven months, one judge in Belize has completed 30 criminal cases. Another judge completed 29 and another 27. This has been aided by the work done by the legislature, by the parliament, particularly the attorney general, in establishing legislation on plea bargaining. So the backlog that we had many years ago has been drastically reduced. I think that this is a tribute to the hard work, not just of the chief justice, but of all the other judges who are working in the criminal justice system.”

The conference is being supported through funding from the United Nations Development Project (UNDP). The UNDP Resident Representative Kishan Khoday, says that the training sessions will help to build the capacity of individual participants along with the institutions they serve. Meanwhile, Justice Derrick Sylvestre, Chair, Judicial Education Institute, spoke on the positive impacts the Needham’s Point Declaration has made within the past few months.

Kishan Khoday, Resident Representative, UNDP: “We’re pleased as the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, to be supporting countries in the Caribbean including Belize to actually build capacity to help achieve that goal. This conference in Belize is the first of its kind here where we’re building capacity of about 120 judges, magistrates, prosecutors, colleagues from the Forensics Office, the police, etc., on various aspects of criminal justice sector reform to enhance capacities of individuals but also those institutions that they’re working in. This is done through the support of judges and other experts from around the Caribbean as well as from the UK and that’s a great platform, really, of capacity development to get that goal of efficiency and more effectiveness of the judicial system.”

Justice Derrick Sylvestre, Chair, Judicial Education Institution: “And this is the first conference of its kind in Belize. So Belize ought to be commended for the trajectory that they’re on. Belize, I could say to you, is now the envy of the other islands in the Caribbean.”

Reporter:  Tell us about some of the topics of discussion that will be had at the conference over the next five days.

Justice Derrick Sylvestre, Chair, Judicial Education Institution: “Yes, but the training is multifaceted. You have training on bail, judgment writing, case management conference. You have training on witnesses, forensic science. Every facet of the criminal justice system would be dealt with. We also have a section on physical health and wellness. The Belizean public can expect growing confidence in the criminal justice system, they will recognize and appreciate that remand prisoners no longer have to remain there for years and also the case in the system will be completed much quicker. So they will have much more confidence when they come to court. So someone should not be sitting on remand for 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 years. If the Needham’s Point Declaration has indicated that trials should be completed in the High Court within one year then no one should be sitting on remand for more than one year. And for a magistrate court six months. So we look forward to having expeditious disposal of criminal matters, and Belize has already started and leading the way in that regard.”

The conference is also supported by The European Union (EU), and the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).