CABINET HAS approved proposed changes to the Coroner's Act aimed at trimming the massive pile-up of cases in coroner's courts across the island.
The proposed changes also seek to enshrine in the law, the Government's 1999 policy of allowing families to have independent pathologists observe post-mortems conducted on relatives who die under questionable circumstances.
Addressing journalists at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House yesterday, Attorney-General Senator A.J. Nicholson outlined details of a the proposals, which he said would "assist in clearing the backlog of cases" in the coroner's courts.
Crucial to the amendments, which are expected to come before Parliament shortly, is the proposal to have a 'designated officer' in each parish who will be responsible for preparing cases and bringing witnesses before the coroner's court.
The designated officer, who is to be appointed by the Commissioner of Police, should not be below the rank of Deputy Superintendent. According to the Attorney-General, the Government was seeking to bring together under one officer, all the various functions which are carried out by different police officers when an inquest is held into the death of a person.
"If there is one person who is in charge then you are able to monitor the system in a better way," Senator Nicholson said.
Under the proposed amendments, a coroner has to hold an inquest within 30 days after he has received all the information regarding the case from the designated officer. "At this point in time, we don't have that kind of provision," he added.
Giving legal force to the Government's policy of allowing persons to have independent doctors at the post-mortem of their relatives, has been on in the pipeline for a number of years.
Dr. Royston Clifford, who headed the Government's Forensic Department for almost two decades, was last week chastised by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson for his refusal to follow the policy. He was subsequently dropped from the Ministry of National Security's Forensic Department.
Dr. Clifford, consultant forensic pathologist, who joined the Ministry in 1985, as director of the then Legal Medicine Unit, came under fire from human rights groups after refusing to allow note-taking by an independent pathologist during the post-mortem of Marvin Henderson, who was shot and killed by the police in February.
Speaking with The Gleaner last week, Dr. Clifford said his refusal to allow note-taking by observers was based on their propensity to make "wrong decisions". He suggested, too, that he was a victim of human rights groups, who wanted him out of the job.
"There are certain groups that manipulated the Ministry. The Jamaicans for Justice group wanted me out," he said.
