A/HRC/9/15 page 9 service deserve particular attention. A lack of public confidence in the State authorities together with a lack of resources may create a dangerous dynamic if not addressed, and seen to be addressed, in a decisive manner. Failing to address the existing lack of confidence within the population could have a devastating impact on reform efforts. 16. The justice sector should receive immediate attention as reform in this area is central to peace, security, development and respect for human rights. The independent expert welcomes recent developments to address the lack of qualified personnel within the judiciary. Notably the launching of the Judicial Training Institute will provide training to personnel at all levels of the judiciary, and will include orientation programmes for new judicial staff as well as continuing legal education for current members of the judiciary. In addition, the future use of paralegals in the Liberian legal system who will not function as qualified lawyers but will be in a position to offer legal advice, thereby increasing people’s access to justice, is to be welcomed. 17. However, at present the weak and dysfunctional judiciary is resulting in many trials being conducted in violation of fair trial standards, trials are repeatedly postponed and courts remain inoperational. In River Cess County the circuit court has remained inoperational since the opening of the May Term of court hearings and in Lofa County the court closed its May term early. Furthermore Justices of the Peace (JPs) have continued to hear cases even though their commissions have expired. They have no legal authority to exercise judicial functions but in Bong County for example the JP is still operating and has the use of a detention cell. In River Gee County a JP is operating on the basis of a letter of authority from the county attorney, while the law clearly provides that only the President has the power to appoint and commission JPs. 18. It is clear that there is need for assistance to the judiciary in a variety of ways including improving the management and administration of the courts, training of all judicial personnel, and provision of the material resources necessary to run a judicial system. Training and support must also be provided to both prosecutors and defence lawyers, to assist with the smooth running of the sector. 19. Much work has been done in the area of police reform and the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has assisted with the training of 3,700 new members of the Liberian National Police (LNP). However all this training will do little to enhance respect for human rights and the rule of law if the police are not managed properly, are not provided with vehicles, communication equipment or sufficient fuel and if an effective oversight body is not in place to ensure accountability of the police to the community it serves. It is vital that gaps in institutional capacity be addressed. Reform of the LNP is a multifaceted effort and the independent expert was encouraged to hear of ongoing plans, such as the research being carried out by UNMIL and the police service into options for a better accountability system. 20. The corrections sector is sometimes referred to as the anchor of the criminal justice system and is in need of urgent attention. Monrovia Central Prison is overcrowded which places a big strain on the utilities and facilities in the prison. It currently holds over 960 detainees with only 38 staff. Separate blocks for female and juvenile detainees were recently constructed with donor funding. However 95 per cent of the detainees held in the prison are pretrial detainees some of whom have been held without trial for over two years. This is as a result of a weak and dysfunctional judicial system, inadequate investigation of cases, alleged corruption which results in prisoners’ cases not being brought to court without payment of a fee, absence of legal aid for