Fire a massive blow to access to justice, says attorney
Calls for new courthouse in St Ann
Published:Wednesday | February 16, 2022 | 12:05 AMCarl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer
Noted attorney-at-law Linton P. Gordon says that the fire that destroyed the Brown’s Town Courthouse has dealt a serious blow to judicial proceedings and access to justice in St Ann.
Noting that the Brown’s Town Court, one of only three remaining in the parish, is the one where probates and letters of administration are done in the parish, Gordon said if such vital records are damaged, it would be a great tragedy.
In a letter to The Gleaner, Gordon lamented the continued reduction in the number of courthouses in St Ann, noting that there were six when he started practising law in St Ann over 40 years ago.
NOT CONSULTED
“When I started practising a little over 40 years ago, there were six courts in St Ann, located at St Ann’s Bay, Claremont, Moneague, Ocho Rios, Brown’s Town, and Cave Valley,” he noted.
“During the administration of the People’s National Party (PNP) in the 1990s, three of them were closed in pursuance of what was labelled ‘rationalisation’. Those three courts were Moneague, Cave Valley and Ocho Rios. The attorneys practising in the parish then were not consulted in any significant way before this so-called rationalisation was pursued,” he added.
Gordon said the Ocho Rios Courthouse which was said to be a Heritage Trust property, is now being used to house a snack bar and gallery, operated by private citizens.
“We are now down to a courthouse in St Ann’s Bay which is inadequate, has only two rooms available for hosting court, and only one court room for the magistrates when the Circuit Court is in session,” the attorney offered.
He continued: “There is the Claremont Court which has two rooms, one atop the police station and another one is a separate building which is normally used for community meetings and is anything but adequate for court sittings.”
Gordon said the St Ann’s Bay Court has challenges, not only in terms of inadequate courtrooms, but also lack of adequate parking for members of staff and attorneys.
“If ever there is an ideal time for the Government to build a proper courthouse for the parish of St Ann, it is now. The citizens of St Ann deserve to be provided with proper facilities for the conduct of court proceedings. What we have now are all inadequate accommodation not suitable for dispensing justice,” argued Linton.