judicial

Courts swamped by cases

Despite a rising crime rate, the number of criminal court judges has not increased.

The average daily case load has increased from less than five cases to more than 15.

LA PRENSA

busy: Panama’s rising crime rate has placed a heavy burden on the country’s eight lower criminal courts that conduct preliminary hearings.1086384

Homicides prosecuted by the Ministerio Público have increased 33 percent since 2005, according to the Attorney General's Office.

Judges see an average of 40 homicide cases per month, 10 more cases per month than in 2005.

The increased case load is a consequence of the significantly higher rate of violence Panama has seen in the last few years, Attorney General Ana Matilde Gómez said.

Authorities from the Ministerio de Gobierno y Justicia indicated that, during the first seven months of 2008, a total of 21,375 crimes have been reported in the country. Homicides represent 1.4 percent of these crimes. Between 2000 and 2007, homicides accounted for 0.3 percent of the crimes committed in the country, according to numbers provided by police.

When analyzing the effect caused by this increase in violence, James Berard, a district prosecutor, first highlighted the negative effect violence has had on Panamanian families.

But he also recognized that court houses are working at maximum capacity. While they have the same budgets and number of workers as they did in 2006, they are handling 10 to 12 more cases per day. There are now between 14 and 16 hearings a day, as compared to less than five daily hearings in 2006.

Part of the problem is the relatively small number of courts that the country has to hold hearings for criminal cases, thus increasing the burden on these judges. Panama is divided into four judicial districts, and has a total of eight criminal courts within these districts. The first judicial district, includes Panama, Colón and the Darién. There are four criminal courts within this district. The second judicial district, which covers Coclé and Veraguas, has one court, The third district, which includes Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro, has two courts. The fourth district, which covers Herrera and Los Santos has one court.

Despite the burden placed on the court system, a study of the judiciary has determined that Panama compares favorably with other countries in terms of the number of cases that advance from the hearing level to a higher court. This indicates that the country's court system is able to handle the increased case load, though the nation's weary judges and prosecutors may argue that more personnel and courts are needed.