An independent judiciary is one of the pillars of this country's democracy, and has traditionally enjoyed the support and the confidence of the public.But the same people who appreciate the importance of the judiciary as an institution will agree that its performance leaves much to be desired, and that if justice delayed is justice denied, then the judicial system is not functioning at all well.
Readers of Debbie Jacob's weekly column in the Guardian will be familiar with the stories of "lads," as they are known, who have spent years in remand, watching their best years tick by from behind bars–without ever having been convicted.So while it is worrying that the judiciary, and in particular its head, Chief Justice Ivor Archie, have been heavily criticised in recent times, the fact is that the Judiciary is not and should not be above criticism–a principle established by the Ambard ruling of 1936 that justice is not a cloistered virtue.
Like other institutions that have had to be dragged into the 21st century, the Judiciary is being called on to be more accountable and more transparent to the people it is intended to serve, and a mechanism needs to be put in place to bring about this change, which in no way threatens its treasured independence.
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