The findings of a magisterial inquiry and the documents forming part of it are not readily accessible to the public. By law, the procès-verbal can only be inspected and copies distributed at the discretion of the attorney general.

However, that cannot be taken to also mean that the main conclusions shall not be communicated to the parties involved.

The so-called in genere inquiries are intended to collect and preserve evidence of a potential crime. They do not seek to establish whether or not a person is guilty or innocent. Instead, their function is to establish if there is enough evidence to file criminal charges.

Since magisterial inquiries can cover offences punishable by imprisonment exceeding three years, cases can vary from theft of electricity to murder. Some are straightforward but others can be very sensitive and complicated.

For different reasons, such exercises usually take time, leaving many victims – at least those still alive – their families and loved ones often hoping against hope that closure will come about sooner rather than later.

Occasionally, the suffering and anguish of those eager to have an explanation, based on hard evidence, as to what happened to their loved ones make it to the headlines.

Only the other day, the widow of a man who died of sudden heart seizure – after he was tasered by the police and injected with a tranquillizer by a doctor – complained the family knew nothing about what stage the inquiry had reached and no relatives were called to testify. The incident occurred two years ago.

Others, many others, however, continue to endure the pain in silence.

The matter needs to be approached from both administrative and human angles.

There are 1,428 inquiries pending before 22 sitting magistrates (as of end April) and new ones come in at the rate of just under three a day. So it is impossible to get rid of the backlog unless more hands are on deck.

Assigning some of the incumbents to deal exclusively with inquiries would result in more pressure on their colleagues who would have to handle more work in the magistrates’ court.

This leaves only one option: appointing more magistrates and having them focus exclusively on inquiries. They are certainly needed for the short and medium-term and, by the look of things, for the long term.

Another aspect that needs looking into is the issue of legal experts. Their appointment is at the discretion of the judiciary, so it is unclear why the names always seem to be the same.

The pool certainly must get long and fast. However, those appointed should make it a point to submit their reports on time and if they are too busy elsewhere, they should politely decline.

How about a serious and independent study to establish all the facts about magisterial inquiries so the necessary action can be taken? Ideally, the exercise should be an academic one based on scientific rather than anecdotal information.

In the meantime, no stone should be left unturned to give the administration of justice a human face.

This, of course, must be done within the ambit of the law

. However, suppose there are any legal obstacles in this regard. In that case, legislation can be amended accordingly to ensure a bigger dose of compassion until justice is finally done and closure takes place.

All it takes is keeping the next of kin updated about what is going on and hearing them. Some magistrates and police officers may already be doing that.

Compassion should be a distinctive characteristic of how the Maltese justice system works.