The placement of the Criminal Instruction Court alongside the Family and Minors Court at the Judicial Court of Ponta Delgada is generating criticism from the Portuguese Judicial Magistrates' Union Association. A member of the National Directorate of this union spoke to the newspaper Açoriano Oriental about this issue.
The union representative warned that this physical proximity between the Criminal Instruction Court and the Family and Minors Court contradicts all existing international guidelines on the matter. These international guidelines advocate for the separation of these different jurisdictions.
The Judicial Court of Ponta Delgada is the court where this situation occurs, located in the Azores region. The concentration of these functions in the same space has been questioned by judges in light of international recommendations.
The position of the Portuguese Judicial Magistrates' Union Association emphasizes that international best practices point to a different judicial organization than the one currently implemented in Ponta Delgada, where criminal and family and minors functions should be separated.
