In a move towards modernisation and transparency, the Supreme Court of Jamaica will begin digitally recording court proceedings in criminal courts starting April.
Chief Justice Bryan Sykes made the announcement at the swearing-in ceremony of judges for the Hilary Term at King’s House in St Andrew on Monday.
According to Sykes, a committee has formulated rules to govern this new development, led by High Court Judge, Justice Leighton Pusey.
“The rules are in place as is the work of the committee… A lot of work went in over the last couple of years and so we are now here,” he said.
Training for the digital recording system will be provided through collaboration with international partners, and will include judges, digital clerks, transcriptionists, defence counsels, and other stakeholders.
This change is expected to significantly impact court practices, particularly in the recording of evidence.
Sykes emphasised that continuous recording of evidence will be necessary to get the best out of digital recording. This means that interruptions and delays, such as defence counsels raising additional matters during witness transitions, will need to be minimised.
“That will now have to come to an end… it becomes 20 minutes,” he noted.
This development is part of the Judiciary’s efforts to utilise innovation and technology for efficient service delivery, aligning with its core values of fairness, accountability, impartiality, integrity, independence, innovation, respect, commitment, communication, courtesy, accessibility, and responsiveness.
