Report and recommendations for direction of judicial reform and enhanced ADR in Guyana

The purpose of the report is to make comments on furthering the design of a technical assistance program for the Guyana court systems and an approach to improve case management of the High Court and Court of Appeal in Guyana. The report also provides specific comments on: (1) planning for reduction and maintenance of court case backlog; (2) strategies to promote capacity and interest in alternative dispute resolution; (3) specific training needs of court personnel; (4) other areas of needed reform in Guyana"s court system; and (5) relationships with the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) project on justice modernization The work to prepare this report was carried out in Guyana from March 5 to March 18, 2005, by James Hargreaves, a former judge and case management and court operations expert with extensive experience in court modernization programs in developing and transitioning countries. Mr. Hargreaves conducted extensive interviews, reviewed key documents and reports, and carried out on-site observations during his time in Guyana. A list of interviewees and documents reviewed is presented at the end of this report. (Author abstract, modified)