The management of High Court records in Botswana

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss issues pertaining to the management of court records in Botswana.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper shows the use of questionnaires, structured and unstructured interviews with the High Court administrators and records keepers as well as personal observations on how records are managed, inspection of storage facilities and observations on records retrieval procedures.

Findings

Concludes that in the past the management of legal records at the High Court received little attentions, but now the High Court has embarked on measures including the introduction of an automated court record system to manage its records.

Practical implications

The paper shows that the effective management of legal records is of crucial to the administration of justice and that there is a need to pay closer attention to the management of court records.

Originality/value

This paper brings together issues related to the management of court records at the High Court in Botswana.

Citation

Motsaathebe, L. and Mnjama, N. (2009), "The management of High Court records in Botswana", Records Management Journal, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 173-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/09565690910999175