From p1// Man behind bars for four years waiting for trial

dangerous’’ parts of any prison, she said. ‘‘The management issues are so significant, you’ve got bored inmates that have nothing to do, that don’t have the same privileges, but they also have the acute mental and psychological distress of being unsure as to how long they’re going to be there.

‘‘The fact that there’s still 2000 remand accused, and we know that there’s this big backlog which is getting worse, that should be incredibly concerning for all the ministers concerned.’’

Auckland District Law Society president Marie Dyhrberg, QC, said while Covid-19 had played a large part in the backlogs, a jury trial had ‘‘a life of its own’’ and there were many reasons for delays, including the availability of jurors and witnesses and other unavoidable circumstances such as when a trial gets aborted.

Everyone needed to ‘‘work responsibly and not panic’’ to ensure the backlog was cleared in way that was ‘‘not just going to make things worse’’.

‘‘A jury trial will never be something that you can just resolve speedily, and if you try and do it too fast somebody’s fair trial rights are going to be trampled on.’’

Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said the Government was working on a range of initiatives to improve access to justice.

‘‘No-one working in the justice system is comfortable with [these] delays,’’ he said.

The Government had invested $50 million into providing five additional District Court judges and three High Court judges, support staff, and other court resources to help reduce Covid-related backlogs.

Several initiatives were under way, including a programme aimed at dealing with delays and reducing backlogs and workload pressures, as well as the establishment of a team to ensure all available resources were maximised with the District Court.

‘‘Just as these delays have developed over time, it will take investment and time to deal with them,’’ Faafoi said.

Victim Support’s general manager of service delivery Peter Guest said the organisation was ‘‘deeply concerned’’ about how the backlog of jury trials affected victims of crime.

‘‘Even without process delays, it can take many months or even years for a jury trial to be completed and for victims to feel they have received a level of justice.

‘‘The court process is emotionally challenging for victims and these delays can be retraumatising.

‘‘On top of the stresses caused by Covid, the added stress from a delayed trial will likely make it even harder for victims to begin to find healing and closure on the traumatic events that have happened to them.’’

The solicitor-general’s executive adviser, Elizabeth Underhill, said how quickly the backlog could be cleared would depend largely on the number of judges and courtrooms available.

‘‘In some cases, the delays caused by Covid-19 may alter the public interest in the prosecution and prompt the Crown to offer no evidence.

‘‘However, each case must be assessed on its own facts, and it is unlikely the recent delays will decrease the public interest in the prosecution of serious criminal offending.’’

‘‘No-one working in the justice system is comfortable with [these] delays.’’

Kris Faafoi

Justice Minister