Justice Ministry working to address backlog of expungement requests

By Halshane Burke   

 

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says the Ministry will be working to address the current backlog of requests for expungement.

 

Expungment is the process of having a conviction removed from a person's criminal record after a specified time and after several criteria are met.

 

"The problem is the Criminal Records Office is overburdened with so many applications and ours is specialised. They have to check it out and send back a report to us because it has been a problem in terms of time. We expunge hundreds every month. But I am aware that some are still in the backlog because the Criminal Records Office may not have been able to find them. And so, the Criminal Records Office or the Minister of Justice have to get in touch with the parish courts that the offence may have been tried in order to get the record," the Justice Minister sought to explain.

 

He said the ministry will be recruiting staff dedicated to addressing the backlog. 

 

"It is a matter which we are aware of at the Minister of Justice, the time it takes to get back the information, because unless you verify that there is a crime, you cannot expunge it. We have been in touch with the Ministry of National Security. We are going to pay some people to be there that just deal with applications of the Ministry of Justice," he promised. 

 

The minister was speaking Thursday at a Social Justice Tour Town Hall Meeting in Hanover.

 

 

In the meantime, the Justice Minister has urged aggrieved individuals not to take the law into their own hands.

 

Minister Chuck told attendees at the Social Justice Town Hall Meeting in Hanover that a significant proportion of murders and violence across the island stem from revenge.

 

He has again encouraged people to utilise the services of the ministry to resolve disputes. 

 

"Get counselling, talk to the police, talk to the social justice section. And by doing so, you are able to resolve the problem rather than getting into further problems because when you take revenge and retaliation, you're creating problems for yourself and your family," he warned, adding that those who need help resolving disputes can seek the services of the justice centres.