Faster verdicts, lower backlog

FOR the fourth year running, Jamaica’s parish courts have impressively dispatched the criminal cases brought before them, clearing up 103.44 per cent of these matters and whittling down the backlog to just a little over two per cent in 2025.

The data was cited by Dr Denarto Dennis, consultant statistician and associate professor, as part of a wider analysis of the performance of the country’s courts, which was made public by the Judiciary of Jamaica as part of Judiciary Week 2026.

“In practical terms, for every 10,000 new criminal cases entered into the system, the courts disposed of roughly 10,344 matters, successfully absorbing all new incoming demand while resolving long-standing files. This marks four consecutive years above the critical 100 per cent threshold,” he said in an article.