A Brief Description of the Magistrate Sitting Program
In collaboration with the Department of Court Administration via the office of the Assistant Court Administrator, in conjunction with the United Nations mission and international Donors for efficiency within the court systems has worked a mythology that caters to the poor and vulnerable who are unable to finance a lawyer thereby yielding the output of quality delivery of access to justice,
The Magistrate Sitting Program is a Mechanism for combating prolonged pre-trial detention and prison overcrowding at Monrovia Central prison (MCP). On a rotational basis, eight of ten Magisterial Courts around Monrovia in Monsterrado county transmits a Magistrate and the necessary Court Personnel which includes, public defenders and state prosecutors to the Monrovia central prison six days a week. Each of the following courts holds pre- trial hearings in accordance with their various assigned schedule dates, In-furtherance of this milestone activity, which implore the gate way to peace building and the fulfillment of interventions with regards the Agenda of transformation (AFT) and the statement of mutual commitment, (SMC), hence herewith there now exist a prefabrication of a specified work stationed office for public Defenders at the Monrovia central prison.
In-depth of said functionary of the judiciary include the detail scope of the following:
- To implore case tracking methodology that includes the scrutiny of records transmitted by magisterial clerks and release thereof, inmates who have committed petty offenses that have remained in prison beyond the statutory period even were they to be convicted and sentenced.
- To transfer to the appropriate circuit courts cases of inmates over which the magisterial court does not have jurisdiction and in which the defendant failed to request preliminary examination.
- To assign cases of inmates who have requested preliminary Examination in keeping with the statute and determine as to whether the inmates can be discharge or have said case file transferred.
It is the goal of the judicial Branch to have this program rolled out to other judicial circuits where there exist alarming pre-trial detention rates.
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THE MAGISTRATES SITTING PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORTS
THE MAGISTRATES SITTING PROGRAM QUARTERLY REPORTS