The Justice Ministry will be intensifying efforts to address the use of abusive methods by some parents and guardians in disciplining children. This is light of concerns surrounding the connection between child abuse and the deviant behaviours exhibited by young people. “I am very disturbed about the level of abuses that are being engaged in by parents and community members...

The Jamaica Tertiary Education Commission (JTEC), in collaboration with the Youth Innovation Centres (YICs), will host a Scholarship and Financial Aid Webinar on Thursday, March 25, starting at 1:00 p.m. The event is a part of JTEC’s GoHiGHER! Webinar series, which, along with the Commission's GoHiGHER! initiative, was developed to support the matriculation of students into higher education and successful...

A Commission of Senior Judges of the Parish Courts has been launched to oversee the implementation of the policies and procedures outlined in the strategic plan of the judiciary. Chief Justice Bryan Sykes, who addressed the virtual launch ceremony on Sunday (March 21), said that the Commission comprises all senior judges of the Parish, Family, Traffic, Children’s, Coroners and the...

The National Spatial Data Management Branch (NSDMB) remains committed to raising awareness about developments in the geographic information systems (GIS) field and equipping educators with the necessary resources to impart GIS knowledge, despite challenges brought on by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For over a decade, the entity has engaged students and teachers in interactive expositions and competitions and training in...

The first coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination blitz, mainly targeting persons 75 years and older, is set for Saturday, March 27 at the National Arena in St. Andrew via appointment scheduling. This was announced by Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, who said the exercise is aimed at inoculating approximately 1,000 persons. “This is the blitz centre approach...

Chief Justice Bryan Sykes is reporting an increase in the clearance rate for parish courts last year despite the challenges of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The court clearance rate is measured in terms of the number of cases disposed of per 100 cases. In 2020, the parish courts saw 37,000 cases, both criminal and civil. Speaking at the virtual launch...

The Portland police and Children’s Court judge are being commended for their efforts in supporting the National Child Diversion Programme. Child Diversion Officer for Portland, Simmonette Rose Daniels, said that as diversion partners, the court and police force play a key role in directing child offenders to the programme and keeping them out of the formal criminal justice system. “The...