Guyana’s justice reforms lead to quicker criminal proceedings, reduced backlog

A series of legislative reforms, technological upgrades and enhanced collaboration among justice sector agencies are delivering tangible results in Guyana’s criminal justice system.

This has led to a significant reduction in case backlogs and accelerated the pace of criminal trials.

Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, highlighted the progress on Thursday during the opening of the Joint DPP-Police Training under the Partnership of the Caribbean and European Union (PACE) on Justice Project at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary.

According to the DPP, criminal assize cases before the High Court have been dramatically reduced over the past two years as reforms aimed at modernising the justice sector continue to take effect.

She explained that while approximately 300 criminal matters were previously listed for assizes, that figure has now fallen to just over 100 cases.

“This has resulted not only in the reduction of the backlog, but what we are trying to do at the same time is to maintain a status quo so that we don’t have the backlog building up again,” the Ali-Hack explained.

She pointed to several key reforms that have contributed to the improvements, including the implementation of the Plea Bargaining Act and the Paper Committal Act, both of which came into operation last year.

The reforms have streamlined procedures and improved the movement of matters through the criminal justice system. This led to the reduced delays that traditionally affected the progression of cases to the High Court.

She noted that the introduction of new criminal practice and procedure rules and forthcoming sentencing guidelines will further strengthen the efficiency and consistency of criminal proceedings.

The DPP also highlighted the growing role of technology in modern criminal investigations and prosecutions.

She revealed that investigators are increasingly relying on digital evidence and forensic tools to strengthen cases, including using surveillance cameras and technology capable of mapping the movements of suspects before, during and after the commission of serious crimes.

“We have been using the technology. We have got lots of equipment, and we have been benefiting from it. We’ve been using it. It has improved both the investigations and prosecutions,” she said.

The technological advancements have been supported by the European Union-funded PACE Justice Project, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Officer-in-Charge of UNDP Guyana, Dhiraj Singh, said the initiative has provided specialised hardware and software, forensic investigation training and digitisation support to several justice sector agencies.

“Today, these agencies have benefitted from specialised hardware and software…advancing digitalisation efforts for access to justice and enhancing critical service delivery,” Singh noted.

Among the beneficiaries are the Guyana Police Force, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Judiciary and the Attorney General’s Chambers.

The Guyana Police Force has received fingerprint machines, laptops, scanners, printers and other specialised equipment to strengthen investigative capabilities and support interoperability among justice sector institutions.

The latest joint training programme brings together police investigators and prosecutors to strengthen coordination, improve evidence management, establish common investigative standards and enhance victim-centred approaches to justice.

DPI