The Government is looking to expand the introduction of restorative justice practices in schools, in a bid to curtail growing incidents of conflicts and violence among students. Justice Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says his Ministry and the Ministry of Education and Youth have been in discussions, with a view to jointly pursuing this undertaking. Restorative justice refers to the process...

Accepting the inevitability of death provides persons with the opportunity to ‘get their house in order’, which can be accomplished through a process known as Estate Planning. Estate planning or estate management involves taking steps to legally document what should happen to a person’s assets upon their passing, most commonly in the form of a will. Administrator-General and Chief Executive...

The Legal Aid Council (LAC) continues to carry out its core mandate of providing equal access to justice to all Jamaicans. Executive Director of the LAC, Dian Watson, told JIS News that the Council’s mission is to provide, in a timely manner, quality professional legal services while ensuring effective access to justice for all. “We take this ensuring access very...

Since its implementation in March 2020, the Child Diversion Programme in the Ministry of Justice has been steering youngsters in conflict with the law away from the criminal justice system. The initiative, which is in the Social Justice Division of the Ministry, targets children aged 12 to 17 years, providing them with individualised diversion programmes tailored to their needs. Director...

Two civil society organisations (CSOs), Children First and the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD), have been engaged under the Social Justice (SO-JUST) Project to provide access to justice services for the society’s most vulnerable. The aim is to facilitate these provisions for persons with hearing impairments and children in contact and conflict with the law. Implemented by the United...

The Restorative Justice (RJ) programme is being hailed for mending the broken relationship between a father and his son. A programme of the Ministry of Justice, it aims to create a culture of peace through effective processes that emphasise the values of mutual respect, dignity and concern between one another in an environment of healing, reconciliation, and restoration. Bishop John...

The Rev. Patrick Anthony Jordan’s entry into the venerable role of Justice of the Peace (JP) was born out of the need to be of greater service to those around him. The Pastor of The Door Christian Fellowship Church on Slipe Road, Kingston, tells JIS News that, initially, his focus was on making it easier for church members to have...

The new Social Justice Division in the Ministry of Justice stands as a testament to the Government’s commitment to increasing access to justice for Jamaicans. Operationalised in March 2023, the Division, which comprises three branches – Restorative Justice (RJ), Child Diversion and Victim Services, is another avenue for the delivery of justice services outside of the courts. It aims to...