On May 8-10, 2023, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), implementer of the Caribbean Anti-Crime Program, conducted a study visit to Georgetown, Guyana as part of the Jamaica Digital Court Recording (DCR) project.
A total of 45 judicial officers, court reporters, IT, staff and administrators participated in the study visit, including 13 delegates from Jamaica. The delegation from the Judiciary of Jamaica consisted of The Hon. Chief Justice Bryan Sykes, The Hon. Justice Leighton Pusey, The Hon. Justice David Fraser, His Hon. Justice Chester Crooks, Her Hon. Justice Marlene Roper, members of the Bar Association, court administrators, IT staff, and U.S. Embassy Kingston INL Director Briana Jones.
The study visit included presentations on the role of technology in the judiciary, capturing the record, speech-to-text and transcript production. The delegation also had the opportunity to tour the facilities of the Supreme Court, as well as the Magistrates’ Courts in Georgetown and Diamond areas. During the tours, participants observed a hands-on demonstration of integrated court automation, courtroom setup for hybrid hearings, digital court recording equipment and software, and tools for producing written transcripts. Each session was designed to build the Judiciary of Jamaica’s capacity to utilize their digital recording system, develop local trainers, produce internal resources, promote best practices in the courtroom and gain expertise to continue the future success of the system.
The Judiciaries of Jamaica and Guyana engaged in several discussions on shared challenges, common aspirations and innovative solutions. In the coming months, the Judiciary of Jamaica plans to hire more court reporters and work with NCSC to facilitate a transcriptionist training course. The judiciaries expressed an interest in future exchanges and regional collaborations.
The Hon. Madam Justice Cummings-Edwards, Chancellor of Guyana, The Hon. Mr Chief Justice Sykes of Jamaica, The Hon. Mme. Chief Justice George of Guyana and NCSC Senior Program Manager JoAnne Richardson with participants of the Guyana Study Visit on May 8, 2023.
CRU Technical Operator, Mr. Hector Edwards, conducting a tour and demonstration of digital court recording equipment in Family Court 1 at the Supreme Court of Guyana on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
Members of the Judiciary of Guyana, delegates from the Judiciary of Jamaica, NCSC, and U.S. Embassy Kingston personnel at the Supreme Court of Guyana on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
Members of the Judiciary of Guyana Court Reporting Unit conducting a demonstration on transcript production on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.