Digital Justice; Gov. to Fast-Track Online Court

In a country where the average court date feels like waiting on rain fi wet up dry cassava, hearing the Justice Minister promise an “electronic court system” almost makes you look outside for flying pigs. But let’s give credit where it’s due. Delroy Chuck is talking about digitising Jamaica’s justice system with the kind of optimism that makes you wonder if he’s been watching courtroom scenes on Netflix.

The plan is bold: roll out the Integrated Electronic Case Management System, or IECMS, across all courts, cut the paper trail, and move the legal process from bun up manila folder to full digital flow. Sounds good, right? Especially if you’ve ever had to stand in line at court from 6am just to find out your file missing or your case “didn’t reach the list today.”

Minister Chuck says the courts are now in their “best shape ever.” Which, to be fair, might be true if you compare it to the days when the magistrate had to squint over handwritten statements while balancing a fan on the witness box. Yes, judges now get paid more than any other in the Caribbean. Which, in theory, should mean they’ll stick around longer, make better rulings, and maybe even stop asking lawyers to fax documents in the year of our Lord 2025.

But let’s slow down before we crown this the golden age of justice. The technology may be coming, but the cultural mindset needs to catch up. A court clerk with a desktop computer but a typewriter mentality is still going to delay justice. And if you’ve ever watched a courtroom try to load a USB stick from 2011, you’ll know we need more than fibre-optic cables — we need full behavioural rewiring.

Now let’s not ignore the bigger picture. Chuck also reminded the public that justice is everybody’s responsibility. From reporting crime to embracing restorative justice, it’s all hands on deck. But here’s the thing: people are more likely to support justice when they feel the system actually work. No amount of “Give peace a chance” posters will make a man go to mediation if he believe the court will lose his documents like a sock in a washing machine.

Still, there’s hope. The Legal Aid Council has been stepping up, with mobile units driving into communities and offering legal help. Imagine that — lawyers pulling up like jerk chicken vendors, ready to serve justice hot and fast. It’s a good move, especially for those who feel like legal help is reserved for uptown suits and not the lady in Clarendon trying to sort out a land dispute from 1983.

At its heart, this digitisation push is about making justice feel less like a punishment and more like a right. That means cases moving faster, files not going mysteriously missing, and people getting fair decisions before they retire.

So while we watch this new era of justice rise like bulla pon yeast, let’s keep a close eye. Progress is good, but only if it reaches the people it’s meant to serve. Because fancy systems mean nothing if the average man still feels like court is a place where justice tek lunch break and nuh come back.