The Justice Ministry expended $1 billion between January 2019 and March 2020 to construct, renovate and retrofit justice facilities across the island, providing comfortable, safe and aesthetically pleasing surroundings for the delivery of justice services. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, in his contribution to the 2020/21 Sectoral Debate on June 24 said that a Victim Services Division (VSD) office was...

Thousands of adults and children who are victims of crime benefited from assistance through the Victim Services Division (VSD) in the 2019/2020 fiscal year. “These include assisting 4,244 children through court support, trauma and grief therapy and special intervention programmes; providing court support for 533 adults; and developing a Missing Children Risk Assessment Tool (MCRAT) to assist parents in identifying...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says progress is being made in the implementation of the National Child Diversion Programme. The Minister, who was making his contribution to the 2020/21 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 24, noted that, so far, 13 Child Diversion Parish Offices have been established, core staff for the programme appointed, and 13...

As one of the solutions to reduce backlog in the courts, the Justice Ministry has been promoting alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods, such as mediation and restorative justice (RJ) conferences. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, said the Restorative Justice Programme contributed significantly to the decrease in the number of cases now being dealt with in the parish courts, as those...

The use of virtual hearings in the courts will be maintained and intensified over time as the phased reopening of the courts progresses. This forms part of efforts geared towards improving the efficiency of the Justice System by increasing the incorporation of technology in its processes and facilitating ease of access. Acting Director of Client Services, Communication and Information at...

The Emergency Call Centre, established by the Court Administration Division (CAD), has recorded an average of 400 calls per week. Established in March, the Call Centre aims to facilitate ease of access for Jamaicans to critical court information. Acting Director of Client Services, Communication and Information at the CAD, Kadiesh Fletcher, said the Call Centre also contributed to the smooth,...

The Legal Aid Council (LAC) Mobile Justice Units will be visiting the parishes of St. Mary, St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine over the next two days to provide free legal service to the public. On Tuesday (June 9), the units will be at the Justice Centre in St. Mary, while on Wednesday (June 10), they will roll into Maggoty Square...