Church Leaders Welcome Restorative Justice Partnership

A new partnership on restorative justice between the Justice Ministry and the country’s faith-based community, is being hailed by church leaders as a step in the right direction to restore peace and goodwill among Jamaicans.

Through an agreement signed on September 6, church leaders and members will be trained in restorative justice practices, to effectively deal with disputes and disagreements arising within their congregations and communities.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, points out that the church is an important part of the society and has recognised a need to “utilise the churches more in transforming Jamaica at all levels.”

Chairman, Jamaica Umbrella Groups of Churches and Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kingston, His Grace the Most Rev. Kenneth Richards, notes that “this partnership offers us new opportunities and a new possibility to make Jamaica the place to live, work, raise families and do business.”

The archbishop adds that with restorative justice “we will rediscover all the goodness that God has planted in human hearts for working through difficulties that seem to be the excuse for harming each other.”

Defined as a process whereby all the parties with a stake in a particular offence come together to collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath of an offence, restorative justice uses forgiveness in restoring peace and de-escalating conflicts.

Senior Pastor, Upper Room Community Church in St. Andrew, Rev. Ian Muirhead, points out that “this aspect of forgiveness is necessary [and] very important for us, as a church.”

In fact, the Bible, the holy scripture of the Christian religion, makes several references to forgiveness, such as in Proverbs 17 verse 9, which states that “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.”

Again, in Matthew 6 verse 14, the Bible teaches that “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

President of the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, Dr. Everett Brown, shares that he is “delighted” to be a part of an initiative that is so linked to the tenets of the church.

“This fits directly into exactly what the church seeks to do, to create an environment of peace, to reduce conflict, to be involved in reconciliation and, ultimately, healing,” he says.

Restorative justice is also a tested and proven method of conflict management. Between 2020 and 2021, the average success rate of restorative justice interventions in Jamaica was 93 per cent.

Over the course of 10 years, the Ministry of Justice has trained more than 3,000 members of critical stakeholder groups in restorative justice approaches.

Director, Jamaica School of Preaching and Biblical Studies, Church of Christ in Jamaica, Rev. Gladwyn Kiddoe, commends the Ministry for taking steps to involve the church in dealing with incidents of domestic disputes, reprisals, violence and murders in the country.

He says that with this partnership, both parties will be dealing with the outcome of a movement away from God by some Jamaicans and the results of persons seeking to live their lives without God at the centre.

Underscoring that the church and its ideals continue to be a transformational force in the nation and that the Ministry is committed to making justice accessible, Permanent Secretary, Grace Ann Stewart McFarlane, is confident of positive outcomes from the partnership.

“We believe this will benefit our nation and transform our communities. We want to empower our church leaders and their congregations to address potentially deadly situations to save lives and save individuals from making deadly mistakes,” she states.

The Ministry is hoping to reach all churches in Jamaica through the programme. It will be executed for six hours each day, over the course of two days, via a face-to-face modality. The days each church selects, do not have to be consecutive.

The Ministry will provide a trainer, training material, information packages and equipment, as well as certification for the successful completion of the programme.

Churches are being asked to indicate their request for training and discuss with personnel at any of the 20 restorative justice centres across the island, a suitable date on which the training can be executed. An allowance of two weeks lead time to prepare is requested.

Each church should identify 20 trainees, a training venue and provide refreshment for the session.