Government Committed to Maintaining Law and Order – Prime Minister

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government is committed to the maintenance of law and order, public safety and security for the citizens of the country.

Speaking at the official opening of the Denham Town Restorative Justice Centre in West Kingston on July 13, the Prime Minister emphasised that restorative justice supports the thrust by the Government to have a secure country.

“This centre reaffirms that the Government (intends) to continue to make investments in the physical and social infrastructure to address the problems facing the people who live in these communities,” Mr. Holness said.

“Efforts like these will be continued and expanded, and I encourage the Minister (of Justice) to set up as many of these centres as possible, because we have to get our citizens to be just to each other,” he added.

The justice centre, located at the Denham Town Community Centre at Race Course Lane, is equipped with modern conveniences to facilitate mediation and consultative exercises.

It was one of two justice centres opened on July 13. The other centre was opened at the Tivoli Gardens Community Centre in downtown Kingston.

This brings the number of restorative justice centres to 10. The others are located in the communities of August Town, Trench Town and Tower Hill in Kingston and St. Andrew; Spanish Town in St. Catherine; May Pen, in Clarendon; Russia in Westmoreland; and Granville and Union Street in St. James.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, said establishment of the centres should bring peace to the communities. He also announced plans to open 14 additional justice centres across the island.

“The basis of these justice centres is to ensure that the services offered by the Ministry of Justice can be properly ventilated and people know how to access justice, so that they know their rights and responsibilities and they know how to access legal aid,” the Minister said.

“What the Ministry of Justice hopes to do is to make sure restorative justice is spread right across Jamaica… to put conflict behind us and make love lead the way,” he added.

Restorative Justice is a process whereby all the parties with a stake in a particular offence come together to resolve, collectively, how to deal with the aftermath of the breach.

It focuses on holding the offender accountable in a more meaningful way to repair the harm caused by the offence, helps to reintegrate the offender into the community and helps to achieve a sense of healing for both the victim and the community.

The Restorative Justice Programme is a component of the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP), which falls under the Ministry of National Security.

Also attending the ceremony were former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Edward Seaga; Opposition Spokesman on Justice, Senator Mark Golding; Canadian High Commissioner, His Excellency Sylvain Fabi; and Head of Delegation for the European Union (EU) to Jamaica, Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska.