Justice Ministry forms working group on virtual court hearings

Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj and Defence Minister Wayne Sturge meet with the Cabinet-approved working group on virtual court at the AGLA Tower, Port of Spain. - Ministry of Justice

The Ministry of Justice convened the inaugural meeting of a Cabinet-approved working group to address persistent challenges with virtual hearings in TT’s court system.

The meeting was held at the AGLA Tower, Government Plaza, Port of Spain, on August 27.

The working group, chaired by Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj, includes representatives from the Office of the Attorney General, Ministry of Homeland Security, Ministry of Defence, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the police and prison services, legal associations and the United Nations Development Programme.

A release from the ministry said stakeholders raised concerns about limited access to justice, strains on the police and prison services, security risks, difficulty for attorneys in accessing virtual links, and procedural unfairness to accused persons, particularly vulnerable groups.

The group is committed to delivering recommendations on how to improve the system.

The meeting followed earlier stakeholder consultations after concerns were raised that police stations were burdened by serving as virtual court sites.

Maharaj warned that the situation was at a "boiling point," saying police officers are severely inconvenienced by having to use spaces once designated for ID parades as makeshift courtrooms.

Speaking outside the Port of Spain Magistrates Court on August 20, Maharaj said the government was considering outfitting a dedicated space in the court building for virtual prisoner appearances instead of relying on police stations. A decision is expected, pending discussions with the judiciary.

"We are looking to see whether in the short term we can get a place in the magistrates' court where these virtual courtrooms can be affected quickly and efficiently," Maharaj said.

"It will have to be custom-built for the particular purpose."

Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, who also toured the magistrates' court, said he supports the shift.

"We just need to fix it. That’s all we need to do at this time," he said, adding that police were right to complain about the disruption caused by the current setup.

Alexander first raised the issue in May, when he said courts using police stations was a serious concern.

According to Alexander, at the time, the courts had taken possession of police stations.

He said the police were already "cramped for space," and there was a need to free up these spaces to give the police the added resource to accomplish their crime-fighting goals.

According to Alexander, the courts had their own facilities.

"Courts at the station – I don’t see this being at any advantage to us or to TT at all," he was quoted as saying.

At the tour, Maharaj noted renovations at the court are progressing and said the long-term goal is a hybrid system, balancing in-person and virtual hearings.

"Certain situations may require in-person, but generally the move is towards virtual," he said.