Government to Build Justice Centre in Sandy Bay, Hanover

The Government is to construct a Justice Centre in Sandy Bay, Hanover, at a cost of $180 million, for the provision of restorative justice, child diversion and mediation services.

This is outlined in the 2024/25 Estimates of Expenditure, tabled in the House of Representatives by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, on February 15.

Specific objectives of the project include improving access to justice services by bringing these services in close proximity to communities; providing the built environment necessary for the implementation of the National Mediation Programme, increasing the opportunity for standardisation of administrative processes, eliminating inefficiency, improving performance and service delivery through the co-location of services, and reducing case backlog through the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and diversion mechanisms.

The project also seeks to reduce the number of children who are exposed to the formal criminal justice system, in response to crime and wrongdoing; and to scale and deepen existing partnerships, including with the Ministry of National Security, towards the further buildout of the Child Diversion Programme.

The project is funded by the Government of Jamaica.