The Ministry of National Security is now in discussion with the relevant authorities to see to the appropriate relocation of 26 juveniles deemed uncontrollable who are in the custody of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). This was announced by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda who said arrangements are being made...

The Ministry of National Security has convened a working group to address some of the issues highlighted in the recently concluded special investigation report into the Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM). Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda who made the disclosure, noted that the group will focus particularly...

Public Defender, Arlene Harrison Henry, says the ‘Know Your Rights’ Campaign will assist persons to know what to do in particular circumstances and calls on Jamaicans to pay keen attention to the campaign messages. Speaking at a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’, the Public Defender explained that the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) has partnered with the National Family Planning...

Inspector of Police, Rochelle McGibbon Scott, is hailing restorative justice as a useful tool in helping to minimise reprisals when a crime is committed. An alternative dispute resolution method, restorative justice works to mend relationships broken by conflict, using a series of conferences involving victims, the accused and, at times, community members. It focuses on holding the offender accountable in...

The Ministry of Justice plans to establish three additional justice centres over the course of the year into 2022 as part of the continued drive to increase access by Jamaicans to justice services. The parish justice centres are equipped to handle matters related to child diversion and restorative justice, as well as dispute resolution, among other justice-related issues. They also...

“The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others” was the message that pervaded throughout Custos Rotulorum, the Honourable Steadman Fuller’s, address. He was the Keynote Speaker at the Lay Magistrates’ Association of Jamaica’s (LMAJ) Kingston Chapter Biennial Awards Ceremony. Custos Fuller encouraged the awardees to continue to be servant leaders, “it has been...

Jamaicans are being encouraged to consider the use of Restorative Justice (RJ) as a method for resolving conflicts. Restorative Justice is a type of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) method, focused on achieving conflict resolution through the use of conferences. Coordinator of the Justice Ministry’s Restorative Justice Programme, Andriene Lindsay, told JIS News that a core concept of the process is...