Dubai: The Law East of the Pecos

Dubai is going to speed up its bogged down justice system. Apparently by implementing new courts that can dispose of cases in a single day. These new drumhead courts kangaroo hanging judge more efficiently administered courts  are to deal only with minor offenses but can really clear up that backlog. Key quote:

Fast-track justice is coming to Dubai with a new court that aims to deal with minor crimes in a single day.

The court in Deira Al Muraqabat police station will hear its first cases next week. It will sit four times a week and expects to handle up to 1,000 cases a month, taking the strain off a justice system currently buckling under the weight of almost 50,000 criminal cases a year.
"This will simplify the judicial process for members of the public and speed it up," said Dr Ahmed bin Hazim, Dubai Courts Director General.

The Dubai Criminal Courts Chief Justice, Ahmed Saif, said the new court would handle cases of petty crime such as bad cheques, illegal alcohol consumption, consensual sex and verbal and physical assault.

"The whole process may be completed in a day," he said. "All the required entities are present at the police station, from the crime registration to the public prosecutor to the judge and even to the penalty execution section."

Sounds good to me. Crime Registration, check. Pubic Prosecutor, check. Judge, check. Penalty execution, check. "All the required entities" are present.

Counsel for the defense? Doesn't seem to be mentioned. Oh, yeah, it's "fast track."