Justice system tainted by bad eggs in chain

A suggestion by the Judges and Magistrates’ Vetting Board that all staff in the justice chain undergo vetting cannot be ignored. The current system where judicial officers — including police, prosecutors, prison wardens, probation officers and paralegals — are not accountable to the public should be overhauled in its entirety.

The board’s interim report argues persuasively that many officials interact in a corrupt way with litigants. It points out that there are numerous instances of documents being deliberately misfiled or altered and money paid for court fees or fines misappropriated.