Long periods in remand custody are a serious concern for the whole justice sector, the Judiciary said on 11 November, and delays can only be tackled once agencies find where they arise.

The Judiciary said it acknowledged concerns raised by the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Mactus Forau, over the reported 193 people on remand in Solomon Islands, some said to have been held for five to thirteen years. Those periods are of deep concern and should be examined urgently, it said.

Police investigate offences, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decides on and runs prosecutions, and the Public Solicitor advises and assists people in need, including those charged, the Judiciary said. Under the Correctional Service Act 2007, it added, the Commissioner's duties cover custody records, prisoners' requests and complaints, and their access to lawyers and to information on their rights, leaving Corrections well placed to find long-term remandees and help them seek bail or review.

The courts' role is different, the Judiciary said: the Magistrates' Courts and High Court decide cases in their jurisdictions, including bail applications, but the High Court does not advise remandees, lodge bail applications for them or run the correctional system.

The Judiciary pointed to safeguards already in the law. High Court Practice Direction No. 1 of 2011 requires committal proceedings to move promptly and lets a remandee seek bail in the High Court if committal drags past the expected six months, it said, while the Public Solicitor's bail guidance sets out how a prisoner without a lawyer can have an application sent to the High Court Registry by the officer in charge of a correctional centre.

The figure of 193 does not by itself show whether the cases sit with the Magistrates' Courts or the High Court, or why individuals remain in custody, the Judiciary said, and each case's history needs examining, longest detentions first. It said Corrections, Police, the DPP, the Public Solicitor and the Courts should work together on the causes of prolonged detention rather than blame any one institution.

Source: Statement published on the Solomon Islands Government portal under the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs on 11 November 2026. https://solomons.gov.sb/prolonged-remand-detention-requires-a-coordinated-justice-sector-response/