Our archaic judicial system

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The judicial system represents the third arm of governance in Jamaica yet it remains archaic in many ways to point of being seen as irrelevant at times.

You would think that with all these learned justices and administrators someone would have seen it fit to make the necessary adjustments at least into the 20th century.

Mind you, some changes have been made but areas like information technology processes are lagging way behind and you CANNOT have learned justice not willing to learn how to even use a laptop, use the internet, among other new and more efficient processes that will speed up how justice is delivered in this country.

From time to time I visit the website of the Supreme Court of Jamaica and I find it lagging behind with the times.

Indeed, I notice that, and, in the words placed on the website, ACTS PASSED IN PARLIAMENT FOR THE LEGISLATIVE YEARS 2009-2015. Now we have a Traffic Act that was passed into law earlier this year and you would think that this important piece of legislation would have been available on this website.

These are just some of the low-hanging fruits when it comes to making sure that the justice system is seen as a balanced entity.

Another important aspect of the justice system I have noticed is the fact that I have not seen anywhere a format that allows me as a citizen, not an attorney, to file a complaint against a judge, of say, the traffic court.

I respect the rule of law and that persons like judges and police officers are custodians of the laws of Jamaica and so should be accorded such respect, but when these individuals commit breaches in their own behaviour, a clear avenue of complaint must be available to citizens.

MARK TROUGHT