Speeding up trials and hiring temporary magistrates are among the initiatives being actively considered by government and the judiciary to help ease the overcrowding in the prisons, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said yesterday.
Top government and judiciary officials met on Wednesday to work on the available options after inmates of the Georgetown Prisons following the deadly March 3 fire, complained bitterly about the lengthy delays in their trials. The fire claimed the lives of 17 inmates and caused injuries to several others, some of whom are still hospitalised.
The OPM statement said that it is expected that Magistrates would expedite trials or grant bail to prisoners which could ease the overcrowding in the jails.