An unaccountable judiciary with poor work ethics can be shown to be one of the main factors plaguing the Criminal Justice System in Guyana. Records are available that illustrate the sad state of the work ethics of some judges, using indicators such as the hours spent daily on the bench hearing cases, the number of cases completed within a given time period, the time taken to give written decisions and consequently the back log of cases
Earlier, the Administration’s impatience led to unsuccessful attempts to have judges accountable to Parliament.
Recently, some success was achieved by the Administration’s enactment of legislation, an exercise that, thought boycotted by members of the Judiciary, led to the Time Limits for Judicial Decisions Act.
These are some simple interventions needed to start fixing the system. They include:

1.      Monitoring and public disclosure of judges’ performances
2.       A more pro-active Judicial Service Commission in making judges accountable.
3.      Closer collaboration between the GPF and the DPP Chambers particularly with regards to ensuring witnesses are available during the trials.