Chuck Promotes Role for JPs in Community Conflicts

MONTEGO BAY — Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says his Ministry has embarked on a 'crusade' to empower Justices of the Peace (JPs) to play a greater role in restorative justice and conflict resolution in communities.

Addressing another in the series of Restorative Justice National Stakeholders Sensitization meetings, at the Sean Lavery Faith Hall Catholic Church, Savanna-La-Mar, Westmoreland on Wednesday (November 30), with approximately 300 Justices of the Peace participating, Mr. Chuck noted that, if many of the emerging conflicts and disagreements were dealt with and avoided early, more lasting peace would prevail in war-torn communities.

He said that Justices of the Peace need to be more proactive and find ways and means to discharge their duties as Justice of the Peace, when disputes arise in communities.

"This is where we in the Ministry of Justice are looking carefully at empowering you, the Justices of the Peace, in dispute resolution and restorative justice, so that you can be, not only the voice in your community, but the peace maker,” the Justice Minister pointed out.

He admitted that the country had a far way to go in resolving and effectively dealing with conflicts, before they are ‘blown over’ into full scale violence. He called on the JP’s to be the “conscience of the nation”, and help the Justice system improve.

Mr. Chuck said he will be making an effort to bring all the Justices of the Peace across Jamaica under one network of decent law-abiding citizens to be the watch dogs of the true morals of the society.

"I hope that the Justices of the Peace in this country will one day become the ‘conscience’ of the nation … representing honesty and decency and be brave and courageous enough to speak out against wrongdoing, corruption and all illicit activities around you. I also urge you as Justices of the Peace to be the checks and balances of state abuse, of judicial excesses and political wrongdoing,” Mr. Chuck told the over 300 JPs in Westmoreland.

He said he was concerned about the injustices meted out to young men in the society by the security forces.

"Sadly, many of our young men don’t know the law, and sadly many of our Justices of the Peace don’t know the law, either. I will repeat this as often as I can, until we cut this out, and this has to do with the abuse of young men by exuberant young police officers”, Mr. Chuck said.

He said that once a person has been arrested, he should be taken to the Justice of the Peace forthwith, in order for a detention order to be signed.

"We do have far too many young men who have been picked up, taken to jail for no reason and locked up in jail for many days before they are released, and they are bitter. That is the injustice and abuse that has caused many of these young men to become anti-social violators,” he said, charging the JPs to help reduce these occurrences.

By Glenis Rose, JIS Reporter