NLIS 24
March 21, 2005
(Justice)
 

Building services to improve justice system

Justice Minister and Attorney General Tom Marshall said today government is making strategic and sustainable investments to enhance justice services with improvements in technology, infrastructure planning, and security.

"Improvements to justice services, and developing strategies for future needs demonstrate government�s commitment to ensure that we not only address services for today, but also plan for tomorrow," said Minister Marshall. "We want to make real and meaningful change in a responsible manner, and make our justice system better by introducing modern innovative programs to improve services, and work towards building new models for future justice needs."

Investments in Budget 2005 demonstrate government�s commitment to improvements in the justice system. They include:

  • Expansion of the RCMP Telecommunications System which will improve police response time and delivery of service to central Newfoundland. Budget 2005 provides $50,000 to prepare for implementation, and beginning in 2006-07 annual costs of $635,000 for ongoing equipment and operational costs. The expansion follows a Budget 2004 announcement to expand the system on the Avalon, Bonavista and Burin Peninsulas.
  • Planning for court infrastructure needs with a $400,000 capital funding commitment for a planning and design phase for a new Supreme/Provincial Court building in Corner Brook.
  • Improved access to courts in the province with the introduction of a $124,100 video-conferencing pilot-project for seven Supreme and Provincial Courts in locations to be determined.
  • A $183,000 Court Security program for Supreme and Provincial Courts in Corner Brook and Provincial Court in Stephenville.
  • The provision of $26,900 in funding support for enhancements to the current Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System for Support Enforcement. These enhancements will enable payers of support to access timely, automated information relative to their account, which should enable staff to address enforcement issues in a more timely manner.

"These initiatives show a strong commitment from government to provide a more disciplined and organized approach to ensure secure justice services for residents of the province," Minister Marshall said. "These investments will be closely monitored and evaluated, with a hope to expand video-conferencing and court security services to other court facilities in the future."

Media contact: Heather MacLean, Communications, (709) 729-6985, 690-2498

2005 03 21                      3:20 p.m.


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