by Nisha Paul
- September Assizes scheduled to begin on Tuesday has been postponed
- Air-conditioning problems at St George’s High Court not yet resolved
- Sexual offences account for 23% of 85 matters on the docket
Grenada’s criminal justice system appears to be making progress in moving cases through the courts after years of pressure from a backlog built up during the Covid-19 pandemic. But that progress is now facing another test.
The September Assizes, which was scheduled to begin on Tuesday with 85 matters on the docket, has been postponed as authorities continue efforts to resolve air-conditioning problems at the St George’s High Court, which is being housed at the CLICO building. The affected criminal matters are listed for High Courts 1 and 2, while High Courts 3 and 4, which deal with civil matters, are also affected by the disruption.
For the 85 criminal cases awaiting their day in court, there is no immediate start date. The cases will have to be relisted once the cooling system is restored and a revised timetable is established.
The latest disruption comes at a time when figures from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) indicate that the volume of matters coming before the Assizes has been falling from the extraordinary levels recorded during the Covid-19 period.
Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Howard Pinnock said the number of matters reaching the assizes has been steadily declining since the surge associated with the pandemic backlog. The changing composition of the docket provides another indication of how the caseload is shifting. Sexual offences accounted for 42% of matters at both the January and April Assizes in 2025. That proportion fell to 37% in September. This year, sexual offences represented 32% of cases at the January Assizes and 35% in April. On the September docket, they account for 23% of the 85 matters.
Homicides make up the largest category, at 28%, followed by sexual offences at 23%. Harm offences account for 22%, while property offences represent 16%.
The figures should not be interpreted as evidence that sexual offences themselves are necessarily declining. They show that such cases currently make up a smaller proportion of the matters listed for trial. There is also evidence that cases are continuing to move through the system.
The assizes completed 83 matters in 2025. A further 53 matters were completed during the January and April sittings this year. Now, however, another court sitting has been interrupted.
Practising criminal defence attorney Arley Gill believes the delayed start of the September Assizes could “negatively affect the progress already made in reducing the criminal case backlog.”
Gill said the backlog has been significantly reduced and argues that the latest delay could undermine that progress. He also questioned why the problems with the physical infrastructure of the rented court facilities, particularly the cooling system, were not resolved earlier. “Before the court was closed in July, there were issues with the facility housing the civil courts… so that ought to have been addressed,” Gill contended. He said the 6-week court break in July provided sufficient time to address the problems before proceedings were due to resume.
The disruption has not brought every aspect of the High Court’s work to a standstill. Matters before the Master of the High Court continue virtually, while urgent applications, including bail and injunctive relief, can still be brought before the court. But the postponement of the September Assizes leaves 85 criminal matters waiting for a new date.
For a justice system that has spent the past several years trying to reduce a pandemic-era backlog, the issue is no longer simply how many cases are on the list. It is whether the courts can maintain the pace of progress, and whether the infrastructure exists to keep justice moving when those cases are ready to be heard.
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