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Justice reforms to break the backlog in courts

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It’s a way to help ease the backlog in the court system. The province is setting up a new panel to help drive justice reforms. The legislation responds to an earlier report issued by Geoffrey Cowper recommending changes to break a backlog in the courts that has seen some cases thrown out because of delays.

Legal Analyst Michael Shapray says any review is a good thing.
“If they’re going to set up a commission or a group to review some of the things that came out of the Cowper report and some of the issues that exist in the criminal justice system, that’s a positive step,” says Shapray.

But he’s also critical, as he explains speeding things up isn’t always the answer.
“Obviously, it will ease some of the pressure, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the proper answer. We are still way below judge levels that we’ve had in the past…It comes at a cost, and in many situations that cost is, people losing their rights to have a trial, to challenge evidence, and to have a proper hearing,” he argues.

Other changes include everything from crime prevention to offender management, and collecting information on how the system is performing. The legislation gives top judges more power and the term of the chief judge of the provincial court moves from five years to seven years to aid in long-term planning.

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