Criminal Justice Board Tackles Multifaceted Issues

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Criminal justice boards have existed globally for decades, but finally, The Bahamas has its own.

Launched in 2025 by the Chief Justice Sir Ian Winder, it was designed to bring together stakeholders in the criminal justice system.

The goal was to improve efficiency and address case backlogs.

As Sir Ian tells us, it’s not a single effort, but rather a collaboration among judicial, governmental, and independent agencies.

Sir Ian Winder K.C. – Chief Justice

“We’ve always said the criminal justice system is a multifaceted problem. So in the past year we’ve taken a new step in creating the criminal justice board.”

As for who sits on the board? The CJ explains the make up of the list of stakeholders.

Sir Ian Winder K.C. – Chief Justice

“Myself as chairman, the president of the court of appeal, the commissioner of police, the director of public prosecutions, the director of social services, the chief magistrate, the registrar, the president of the bar, members of the defence bar, police prosecutions, forensics, the rand laboratory.”

“All those stakeholders come together in a forum. We’ve set up sub committees to focus on several areas.”

The board meets monthly, giving the stakeholders a forum to identify issues, and work collectively to solve them.

Sir Ian Winder K.C. – Chief Justice

“The board was established in August last year, that’s proving very effective.”