As part of its efforts to ensure transparency and accountability, the Judiciary will be hosting training sessions to sensitise the media on new, upcoming programmes and other developments in the Justice Sector.
This was disclosed by Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards, who, according to the Department of Public Information (DPI) noted that, “we need to bring [the media] up to date with what’s going on, to tell you about the law, provide access to us, because we are accountable to the people. We do not sit in an ivory tower.”
Justice Cummings-Edwards said that citizens must not only have access to the courts, but access to the opinions of the judges and magistrates, and why certain rulings are made.
The media training will encompass all these areas and operatives will be given the opportunity to seek clarifications and ask pertinent questions important to the public, DPI said.
A post was created for a Communications Officer, who will be tasked with filtering the necessary information to the public and media.
“Sometimes people look at the whole justice system as being shrouded in secrecy but it ought not to be like that”, the Acting Chancellor added. She informed that there is a Judicial Education Institute, which operates out of the Chambers of the Chief Justice. A Committee comprising members of the Judiciary, as well as the Magistracy are responsible for setting the Curricula.
Training programmes for both judges and magistrates will be run throughout this year, DPI reported.
