The Restorative Justice (RJ) Branch in the Justice Ministry is making strides in diverting children away from the criminal justice system with fewer than 300 RJ case conferences involving children held up to the end of the 2023/24 fiscal year. Addressing a recent JIS Think Tank, Director of the RJ Branch, Joanalee Robertson, said that the low number of child-related...

The Restorative Justice (RJ) Branch in the Ministry of Justice is working to ensure that the conflict resolution skills that school participants learn through the restorative practices training programme have a lasting impact on the institutions. Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education and Youth, more than 12,000 participants from...

The Victim Services Branch (VSB) is taking a trauma-focused approach in caring for children who are victims of crime. The approach involves special interventions to help children feel safe, work through their feelings, respond to their symptoms and prevent them from being re-traumatised. Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on Monday (April 22), Director of the VSB, Dionne Dawn, said...

Parents are being encouraged to be vigilant and seek the requisite support services and interventions when they observe emotional and behavioural changes in their children in the aftermath of traumatic events. This urging comes from Director of the Justice Ministry’s Victim Services Branch (VSB), Dionne-Dawn Binns, who was speaking during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the...

Director of the Child Diversion Branch (CDB) in the Justice Ministry’s Social Justice Division, Venisa Clarke, says the unit remains committed to providing a circle of care for children through partnerships with other entities. The CDB is tasked with providing rehabilitative services for children, aged 12 to 17, who come into conflict with the law and diverting them from formal...

We are pleased to announce that Miss Claudette A. Thompson, Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, has been approved by the Governor General of Jamaica, His Excellency the Most Honourable Sir Patrick Allen, ON, GCMG, CD, KSt. J, upon the recommendation of the Public Service Commission to act as Director of...

Jamaica’s judiciary is working to streamline its core processes by leveraging technology to enhance access, efficiency and fairness in the judicial system as part of its recently launched Strategic Business Plan for 2024 to 2028. Director of the Court Administration Division (CAD), Tricia Cameron-Anglin, who outlined the strategic plan during the recent launch, noted that the first pillar to be...