Challenges facing criminal prosecution reform in CARICOM countries

Abstract

The English-speaking Caribbean is proud of its long history of adherence to democratic norms and respect for the rule of law. However, traditionally, regional decision makers have failed to provide adequate resources to the court systems resulting in legal systems failing to keep pace with developments in the wider world. Many countries in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) do not utilise the most modern management concepts, fail to bring fees and fines up to levels which reflect modern-day realities, limit the use of automated and efficient procedures, and fail to ensure that laws, as well as physical infrastructure, are reflective of modern times and the changing expectations of the citizenry. The result has been a gradual decline in the efficiency and effectiveness of the legal systems in some of the English-speaking Caribbean countries.