Magistrates’ Court Goes Digital with Launch of Public Resource Portal

Getting information from the Magistrates’ Court should now be a lot easier for Belizeans. The court has launched a new website where the public can access court information, download legal forms, and get clear guidance on court procedures without having to call or visit in person. Officials say the platform is all about making the justice system more accessible and easier to understand. Chief Magistrate Deborah Rogers says the website responds to long-standing calls for the court to improve its online presence, with updated forms, step-by-step guides, and answers to frequently asked questions. But she also made it clear that the move to digital does not leave anyone behind. Paper-based services will still be available for Belizeans who do not have access to the internet.

 

Deborah Rogers, Chief Magistrate

“One of our biggest criticisms in the magistrates is that we didn’t explain things enough to people. And unfortunately, our magistrates and our clerks, of course, have a high degree of workload. Our dockets are fifty to one hundred people a day. The magistrate court is a high-traffic, institution. So to meet that need and to give access to that information, we thought that a website would have been the best and most accessible platform. Yes, our staff is still going to be there to be able to assist those who don’t have access to internet services or who don’t have a computer or printer at home. But for now, we believe that this is a significant step in meeting that demand. While more government ministries are moving towards a fully digital platform we believe in the magistrate that we can never fully go digital. That means that we would disenfranchise the greater majority of people that we serve. So in order to do that, we’re taking on a more blended approach. So yes, more services will be available through the platform, but we’ll still maintain our paper-based services for those who don’t. We still get handwritten correspondence from litigants quite often at the magistrate court, so that is an indication of the demographic that we’re serving and the people who need our services.”

 

Elizabeth Lanzi Mazzocchini, Project Officer, European Union in Belize

“The website is one milestone of a bigger reform process that we’re supporting in Belize to support the justice sector transformation. The website is crucial because it brings the sector closer to the people, meaning that without a website, people have to get on the bus, travel for hours, spend a lot of money, try to go get the form. They have to rely on information from their friend, friends or their neighbors or relatives that may be wrong. They have to be on call for a long time trying to get an answer. So it’s really complicated. So what the website does is that it makes it easier for the people living in Belize to be able to get clear guidance, clear information, download the forms on their own, and kind of get, get information which is in plain simple language, not legal jargon, because we know that can be really tough, in Spanish and English.”

 

The four-year regional justice reform project, which supports eight Caribbean countries, has provided training and capacity-building with Belize emerging as the program’s top-performing country ahead of its conclusion in six months.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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