An improvement is expected in the efficiency of the justice system after the modernisation of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which yesterday moved a step toward a multimillion dollar technological overhaul.

The Justice Ministry yesterday signed a $27.8 million contract with Illuminat Jamaica Limited for the overhaul, which will form part of extensive restructuring of operations at the DPP's office.

Justice Minister A.J. Nicholson said during yesterday's contract signing at his ministry's New Kingston offices that the modernisation of the office and the consequential improvement in efficiency of the justice system should impact positively on the nation's crime rate.

"For there is the objective view that if criminal and civil cases are disposed of in a timely manner, people will be less inclined to take action on their own to realise a sense of satisfaction through revenge," Mr. Nicholson said.

New servers

Over the next three months, Illuminat Jamaica Limited will provide and install five servers with different purposes in the department. The company will also install backup devices for each server in addition to about 50 work stations, three scanners and a range of software.

The staff at the office will also be trained to use the new technology.

According to Mr. Nicholson, an immediate spin-off from the computerisation of the office is that it will facilitate the introduction of an automated case management process at the Supreme Court level.

"In this regard, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal have recently benefited from real improvement to their technology infrastructure at a cost of $18.2 million," he said.

The Justice Minister added that this should help to advance trial processes to levels to which citizens are entitled.