Courts to get additional recording systems

Jul 03, 2017 News

Plans are afoot to have the recently implemented recording systems installed in the High Court and Magistrates’ Courts in Berbice and Essequibo. At the Supreme Court in Georgetown, the voice recording system has been in operation since the opening of the session of the Demerara Assizes in January.
The verbatim recording system has been installed in the Chief Justice’s Court as part of a pilot project under the “Modernisation of the Justice Administration System.”
Additionally, the project’s conference system was intended for three courts; the Court of Appeal; the Chief Justice’s Court and the Commercial Court of the Supreme Court of judicature.
The new installations are said to have significantly eased the burden on judicial officers with regards to recording the end of trials. The system replaces the obsolete use of tape recorders and transcriptions in long hand.
The digital feature is currently being used primarily to record the endings of criminal and civil proceedings. The conference system (audio recording/data storage) is the starting component of the process of verbatim reports.
The system employs audio signals generated by microphones sent to a microphone control unit for conditioning and control level. The system also utilizes a PA amplifier and three digital recorders. The recorder, automatically, during the proceedings, captures all sounds of the courtroom activity. The verbatim system records attorneys, litigants and other court users, and is stored securely within the courthouse.
The initiative has been on the cards for years since the local court system has been earmarked for such a reformation.
Under the modernisation project, several courts have been refurbished and a number of up-to-date features were set to be installed in the Court of Appeal, the Chief Justice’s Court and the Commercial Courts. This includes the voice recognition systems.
Several years ago, the government signed a US$25M agreement with the IDB, to undertake several institutional reforms within the local justice system.
Through the project, a Law Revision Unit was established to facilitate the ongoing revision of the laws. The project is said to be a quite complex one, with unfamiliar dialogue to institutions that had most probably never thought of reviewing their structures.
Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Basil Williams, had indicated that the entire judiciary system needs to be revamped before the issue of backlog cases can be tackled more aggressively.
In this regard, Williams said that he is looking at establishing a coordinating committee made up of representatives of the justice system, who will meet regularly and try to tackle problems in every area of the judiciary system, thereby constituting a holistic approach to addressing case backlog.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News