Indonesian Delegation to Study Restorative Justice Programme
By: , September 7, 2022
Photo: Mark Bell
Justice Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck (fourth right. seated); Permanent Secretary, Grace Ann Stewart McFarlane (fifth right, seated); and National Restorative Justice Coordinator, Andriene Lindsay Williams (ninth left, standing) are flanked by members of the local faith-based community following Tuesday’s restorative justice programme partnership agreement signing ceremony at the Ministry’s office in Kingston.The Full Story
A delegation from Indonesia is to arrive in November, to complete a study on Jamaica’s restorative justice programme.
The 15-member team, to include some of Indonesia’s most influential leaders in politics, crime, corrections and law, is to visit Jamaica’s courts, Department of Correctional Services, Parliament and the police commissioner’s office.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the move stems from an initial contact made by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Indonesia in March, after Jamaica’s restorative justice programme was seen in various media outlets and interviews.
“This really sparked an ongoing dialogue… . We learned that Indonesia was desirous of learning from restorative justice Jamaica and is at the beginning stages of formulating a national strategy on restorative justice,” explained National Restorative Justice Coordinator, Andriene Lindsay-Williams.
She outlined that the UNODC, as a partner of the Government of Indonesia, is keen to assist with developing a realistic and practical strategy on restorative justice in that country, but the issues of financing and politics pose challenges in achieving this.
“Indonesia recognises that Jamaica may have faced similar challenges. In this case, they are very interested to learn how Jamaica has responded to these challenges, and how the restorative justice programme has been implemented amid same challenges,” Mrs. Lindsay-Williams said.
She informed that a Jamaican delegation presented virtually at an Indonesian conference, titled ‘Contextualising RJ in Indonesia’, alongside various high-level members of the Indonesian government, in July.
Mrs. Lindsay-Williams was speaking during a signing ceremony for a partnership on restorative justice between the Justice Ministry and the church, on Tuesday (September 6).
She said this new partnership is fitting as “when the Indonesian tour comes to Jamaica, we’d really like to come around to some of the churches to speak about it… Indonesia is a strong faith-based country”.
Between 2020 and 2021, Jamaica recorded an average success rate of 93 per cent in restorative justice interventions. Additionally, some 3,000 members of critical stakeholder groups have been trained in restorative justice approaches across the country, over 10 years.