Thousands of adults and children who are victims of crime benefited from assistance through the Victim Services Division (VSD) in the 2019/2020 fiscal year. “These include assisting 4,244 children through court support, trauma and grief therapy and special intervention programmes; providing court support for 533 adults; and developing a Missing Children Risk Assessment Tool (MCRAT) to assist parents in identifying...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says progress is being made in the implementation of the National Child Diversion Programme. The Minister, who was making his contribution to the 2020/21 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 24, noted that, so far, 13 Child Diversion Parish Offices have been established, core staff for the programme appointed, and 13...

As one of the solutions to reduce backlog in the courts, the Justice Ministry has been promoting alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods, such as mediation and restorative justice (RJ) conferences. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, said the Restorative Justice Programme contributed significantly to the decrease in the number of cases now being dealt with in the parish courts, as those...

The use of virtual hearings in the courts will be maintained and intensified over time as the phased reopening of the courts progresses. This forms part of efforts geared towards improving the efficiency of the Justice System by increasing the incorporation of technology in its processes and facilitating ease of access. Acting Director of Client Services, Communication and Information at...

The Emergency Call Centre, established by the Court Administration Division (CAD), has recorded an average of 400 calls per week. Established in March, the Call Centre aims to facilitate ease of access for Jamaicans to critical court information. Acting Director of Client Services, Communication and Information at the CAD, Kadiesh Fletcher, said the Call Centre also contributed to the smooth,...

The Legal Aid Council (LAC) Mobile Justice Units will be visiting the parishes of St. Mary, St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine over the next two days to provide free legal service to the public. On Tuesday (June 9), the units will be at the Justice Centre in St. Mary, while on Wednesday (June 10), they will roll into Maggoty Square...

The Legal Aid Council (LAC) Mobile Justice Units have resumed controlled community visits around the island. The units are equipped with legal consultants from the LAC who provide advice on various matters to Jamaicans, free of cost. In an interview with JIS News, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Council, Hugh Faulkner, said the visits on June 3 to Manchester...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says over the next four weeks, 60 tourism workers will be participating in a new law programme offered by the University of the West Indies. The Minister said the new training initiative, called ‘Tourism and Law’, and featuring topics such as Introduction to Criminal Law, Introduction to Contract Law, Law of Torts and Sexual...

Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness says that justice will be served in the recent shooting death of Susan Bogle of August Town, St. Andrew. The 44-year-old disabled woman was shot inside her home during a police-military operation in the community on May 27. Mr. Holness, during a virtual press briefing on Sunday (May 31) at the Office of...