The Government has secured a plaza in Westmoreland to temporarily house the parish court, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Melissa, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck announced on Monday.
“I’m happy to report, Mrs [Trecia] Cameron Anglin, that the contract has been signed now and the keys, if you have not yet received it, will be passed on to you certainly early this week,” Chuck told the head of the Court Administration Division.
He said the contract to rent the facility was signed after some delays.
Chuck had previously indicated that the Government had abandoned plans to refurbish the existing Westmoreland Parish Court, noting that the building had outlived its useful life and that repairing the structure, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Melissa, would be too costly.
The minister also disclosed that the Government is in discussions to rent a facility in Black River to temporarily house the St Elizabeth Parish Court, which was also severely damaged by the hurricane last year October.
“We are in discussion and we expect a contract to be signed within the next week or two for that property,” Chuck said.
The two temporary facilities are expected to provide short-term accommodation for the courts while permanent courthouses are developed.
Chuck said Westmoreland and St Elizabeth are among four parishes where new courts are expected to be built over the next two years, with Trelawny and St Ann making up the other two. The projects are to be undertaken under the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA).
“Westmoreland and St Elizabeth are absolutely needed right away,” he said.
The Justice Minister was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Judiciary of Jamaica’s eighth Strategic Management Retreat at the AC Hotel by Marriott in Kingston, being held under the theme, ‘Justice in Motion: Position the Judiciary for the Future of Justice’.
He said the push to construct new courts is not new, noting that when he became justice minister in 2016, it was clear to him that several of Jamaica’s courts needed more than repairs and should be replaced.
“Let me say that after about 11 years as minister of justice, I am a little disappointed that it’s the first I am not able to say that we have built so many courts which really my vision was when I came,” he said.
Chuck said discussions had been held over the years about using public-private partnerships to finance new court facilities, but little concrete progress had been made.
However, he said based on recent discussion there is now renewed hope that new courts can be delivered, with the Government also looking at public-private partnership arrangements for courts in Manchester and St Catherine, as well as a new Supreme Court.
The minister said Hurricane Melissa had caused significant damage but had also created an opportunity for the Government to accelerate investment in court infrastructure.
He stressed, however, that the construction of new courts must be accompanied by proper maintenance of existing facilities.
“We need to maintain those courts which we have,” Chuck said, noting that the Ministry of Justice and the Court Administration Division have been meeting to address maintenance issues.
– Tanesha Mundle