The Ministry of Justice is considering the inclusion of victims as part of the child diversion process to facilitate the mending of broken relationships within schools and communities. Child diversion is an alternative dispute resolution tool used primarily to put the child offender on a path away from the criminal justice system and its attendant negative features. It involves measures...

The Ministry of Justice is calling for more persons, particularly men, to volunteer as mentors for the National Child Diversion Programme. Generally, mentors provide support through guidance and supervision to children in the programme, to help them curb their behaviour and address the issues that have been identified. This is a critical part of the rehabilitation aspect of the programme....

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...

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...

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...

The National Child Diversion Programme is reporting a low non-compliance rate among participants of less than three per cent. This means that children are consenting to and are engaging in the treatment programme designed as part of the diversion process. Addressing a recent JIS Think Tank, National Child Diversion Consultant, Ruth Carey, told JIS News that the low non-compliance rate...