Belize Bar Association Says Court Backlog Has Been Greatly Reduced

President of the Belize Bar Association, Jose Alpuche, says the long-standing backlog in the courts appears to have been greatly reduced, following years of reforms, training and stronger case-management efforts.  Alpuche made the observation while speaking on the state of the justice system. Court delays have been a persistent concern for attorneys, litigants and accused persons, with matters often taking years to reach trial or receive a judgment.  The judiciary began taking more focused steps to address the problem about four years ago. Those efforts have included training for magistrates, court clerks and other judicial officers, as well as initiatives aimed at improving how cases are scheduled, monitored and disposed of.  In September 2025, some 60 members of the judiciary, including 21 magistrates, took part in a two-day case-management training hosted by the Judicial Education Institute of Belize’s Senior Courts in collaboration with the UNDP PACE Justice Project. The programme was intended to give judicial officers better tools to move criminal matters through the courts more efficiently and reduce the number of outstanding cases.  Alpuche says the improvement in the backlog is a positive sign, but the work must continue to ensure that justice is delivered in a timely manner.

Jose Alpuche, Attorney: “For me personally, and I would say just anecdotally I don’t have statistics, but my colleagues would certainly agree that the backlog has reduced and so we have a full complement of judges on the bench and it has certainly made an impact in having matters move forward. Like I said anecdotally I mean I’m just noticing in my own filings we get dates quickly, matters come up for trial and case management and so on in a timely manner so I would agree with that assessment.” 

The Judicial Education Institute has said its professional-development programmes have already contributed to a reduction in overdue judgments, while the courts continue to pursue measures to improve efficiency across the justice system.