In an effort to reduce the heavy case backlog at the courts, the Judicial Service of Ghana has announced the introduction of a Court Shift System that will enable the courts to sit for prolonged hours.
The new system, announced by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, will start on a pilot basis in eight selected courts from March 25, 2024.
As part of the initiative, the courts will run two shifts. The morning shift runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. while the afternoon session will be from 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
According to a circular informing judicial service staff about the initiative, the Court Shift System is aimed at “optimizing the use of existing court resources to reduce the volume of cases before the Courts.”
“The rationale for the Court Shift System stems from the fact that, findings from a physical count of dockets undertaken in all Courts nationwide demonstrated that a number of identified Courts have huge caseloads with some in excess of 600 pending cases,” the circular said.
The circular, signed by the Judicial Secretary, Justice Cyra Pamela C. A. Koranteng, mentioned the eight pilot courts as High Court 1, Adentan; High Court 2, Adentan; High Court 1, Amasaman; Circuit Court, Weija; District Court, La; District Court, Teshie; District Courts A&B, Madina; and High Court, Nsawam.
Among other expectations, the Service is optimistic that implementation of the new system will reduce the backlog of cases in the specified courts, improve accessibility to justice for citizens by offering flexible court hours that accommodate diverse schedules, and enhance the overall effectiveness of the judicial system.
