In October of 2023 Pace Justice was officially launched in Barbados with the help of the UNDP and other stakeholders. It's a system that uses software to eliminate backlogs of criminal cases in courts across the Caribbean. Today PACE Justice was launched in Belize with a total of 1.5 million dollars invested to be distributed among 5 implementing partners in BelizeL The judiciary, The Ministry Of Home Affairs, The AG's Ministry, The Ministry Of Human Development and Families and the office of the Director Of Public Prosecutions. Here are the highlights from today's launch.
Louise Esther Blenman, Chief Justice
"I am grateful to both the UNDP and the EU for their steadfast and unswerving general support to Belize in general over the years and in particular to the justice system. This continues and is evidenced through this valuable peace justice project."
"All of the implementing agencies are grateful and very pleased to be beneficiaries of this significant criminal judicial reform project in Belize. The provision of modern technological support through this project is timely and complements the ongoing criminal justice reforms which are part of the senior courts of Belize in the strategic plan."
"Your invaluable support will enable us to realize our goals of ensuring efficient and effective access to justice to all and to serve to reduce the backlogs."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"The primary challenges as identified and as mentioned by the previous speakers is of course the languishing backlogs and bottlenecks that exist within our justice systems."
"The report further analyzed some of the causes and looked at possible solutions to addressing these backlogs such as implementing diversionary measures, the process of prosecution, adjournments, case flow management, sentencing, bail, pretrial detention and rehabilitative approaches."
"Solutions also include the modernization of justice administration, human resources, legal aid and specialized courts. Recommendations that only reaffirmed that we in Belize are on the right track as it relates to our continued plans and ongoing efforts."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"It's $200,000 more. So I think what we need to do is to look at what we have in front of us and hope best we can use it. Because in many instances, it's not only the money, but what the ideas that they can bring forward and trying to address some of the issues that we're confronting, the issues of delays in the judiciary, the issues of, for instance, the adjournments, you know, endless adjournments, using digital technology to be able to make the judicial system more efficient, finding different ways of sentencing."
"You know, all of these things can be able to help considerably in the justice system. So it's not looking at $200,000 per year, but what it is going to, we hope that we can accomplish by using that money to put everybody together and trying to address these issues."
The project will begin execution in April after consultations are complete. PACE Justice will end its work in Belize in March of 2027.
