$4.5B announced in budget to modernise, reform justice system

The justice sector plays an important role in every democratic society. Not only is it essential for upholding the rule of law, but it also ensures good governance and respect for human rights. Recognising that the stability and strength of the justice sector are paramount to public trust and investor confidence, the Government has set aside $4.5 billion in the 2022 budget to fund various works for advancing the sector.

Of this sum, $1.3 billion will fund the completion of the Port Kaituma, Mabaruma, and Vigilance Magistrate’s Courts, additional magistrates’ courts, and living quarters for judicial officers in Friendship and Timehri on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) and will aid in the timely delivery of justice to the citizenry especially in underserved areas.
While delivering his budget speech on Wednesday in the National Assembly, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh noted that these investments will increase the number of courts around the country from 41 to 46 and will result in improved access to the justice system at a reduced cost to the populace.
In 2021, $879 million was spent on the completion and construction of courts and living quarters countrywide which will result in courts at Bartica and Mahdia becoming operational this year. In recent times, the Judiciary has been praised for decentralising the magistracy given the country’s geographical layout, which makes travelling and communication very challenging at times.
In December 2020, the Government launched several container courtrooms at the Lusignan Prison to conduct virtual court hearings to minimise the spread of the deadly COVID-19 and to ensure that accused persons are afforded a trial within a reasonable time as guaranteed under the Constitution of Guyana.
Similar facilities will be implemented soon at the New Amsterdam, Mazaruni, and Camp Street prisons. Moreover, Dr Singh announced that a further $250 million has been allocated for the training of prosecutors, among other things.

This will see the University of Guyana’s Prosecutorial Programme commencing this year with 25 persons who hold undergraduate law degrees. The programme is expected to last for 13 weeks and will increase the number of trained prosecutors.
The programme is titled “Advocacy and Evidence for Summary Courts Prosecutors” and falls under the Support for the Criminal Justice System (SCJS) Programme which is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Completion of the programme will result in the award of a “Summary Courts’ Prosecutors Certificate”.
In addition, monies have also been set aside this year for judicial policies aimed at reducing over-reliance on imprisonment. The policies are being developed to increase the use of alternative sentencing in the justice system.
A recent report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) flagged Guyana for its over-reliance on custodial sentences particularly for persons charged with non-violent and petty offences. The report highlighted that this has been contributing to the country’s increasing prison population.
To complement these initiatives, a Management Information System for the Legal Affairs Ministry, Human Services Ministry (Probation Department), the Police Force, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will become operational this year to ensure a coordinated approach to effectively managing cases.
Following a November 2021 fire that ripped through the structure which houses the DPP’s office, DPP Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, renewed her calls for the digitisation of records. “It is something I have been asking for, for years now, to digitise the system. This shows the wisdom in having a digitised system,” she had told reporters.
The fire saw staff at the office scrambling to save thousands of paper-based records. Meanwhile, the Finance Minister has assured that the Government will continue to support the implementation of reforms to enhance and modernise the Judiciary, while at the same time maintaining the highest respect for its constitutional independence.