Chuck says IECMS to result in a seamless, interconnected justice system

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS), a digitisation model pioneered by the Government of Rwanda, will bolster Jamaica’s justice reform efforts and eliminate the outdated paper-based case management system now being used in Jamaican courts.Chuck said that eventually, paper will be eliminated from all courts.He has asked all Jamaicans to “visualise a scenario, within the next two to three years, when all our justice stakeholders will be electronically interconnected”.“In other words, when John Brown or Mary Jane is charged with a crime, there will be no more movement of paper from police stations to the court. No movement of paper will take place from the forensic lab, the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions, the Parish Court, the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal,” said Chuck.He was speaking Wednesday during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.The justice minister said files related to matters in the parish court would seamlessly reach the circuit court. “Criminal records will also be integrated as we benefit from the transformational time management and cost-saving results of digitising our courts, which is part of our commitment to a stronger justice system,” the minister added.The IECMS is the result of a bilateral agreement signed between the Jamaican and Rwandan governments.Chuck reminded that in November 2022, the Government of Jamaica through his ministry and with support from the United Nations Development Programme travelled to Rwanda for a study tour. Following that visit, in November 2025 the ministry signed a bilateral agreement with Rwanda for the design, development and implementation of the IECMS.“We welcome the timing of this agreement as the passage of Hurricane Melissa underscored the need for digital case files which will help with the continuation of court services in the event of a disaster,” said Chuck.He told the Parliament that, “The upcoming months will indeed be transformational and impactful as we work towards integrating the benefits of a technology-driven justice sector”.Stressing that the IECMS is designed to modernise the administration of justice while enabling a more connected, efficient, and transparent system among all our justice stakeholders, Chuck noted that once implemented, it will provide multiple benefits, including:Increased transparency and accountability, supporting the provision of real time access to information by authorised stakeholders. This will increase the level of public trust in the sector.Significant cost savings due to the transition from a highly paper based to a paperless system.Additional back-up options through the digitisation of records, reducing the risk of data-loss in the instance of natural or manmade occurrences, ensuring business continuity and reduced downtime.Greater opportunities to collect standardised data to facilitate the development of data driven policies and programmes.“This marks a new era for our court system since all stakeholders must now embrace modern technology and abandon our outdated paper-based systems. The aim is to make the use of technology in our Jamaican courts a leading model of excellence in this region,” Chuck said.— Lynford Simpson