Jamaicans Encouraged to Use Restorative Justice to Resolve Conflicts

Jamaicans are being encouraged to consider the use of Restorative Justice (RJ) as a method for resolving conflicts. Restorative Justice is a type of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) method, focused on achieving conflict resolution through the use of conferences.

Coordinator of the Justice Ministry’s Restorative Justice Programme, Andriene Lindsay, told JIS News that a core concept of the process is centred around mending relationships.

“People who come to the centre are usually resolute and serious about the process, because they want to resolve the conflict. Whether it’s brother, sister, boyfriend, girlfriend, friend or neighbour, it’s about mending relationships,” Ms. Lindsay said.

“Where relationships have been severed, what we want to do is help heal them. What we do in the process is to address the harm that has been caused and RJ is a great intervention to do that, by the questions that we are asking and the process itself,” she added.

Currently, persons can access restorative justice through Parish centres located across the island. With the reality of COVID-19, the centres have implemented intensified health and safety protocols as stipulated by the Government. Ms. Lindsay pointed out that since the implementation of these procedures last year, persons have been compliant.

“We have not had any issues, our clients that come in the centre are truly compliant and they come in masks. In the very few instances where people may have forgotten their masks, we do have masks that we give to clients, but this is very rare, because usually they come prepared. They have no problem sanitising their hands and doing the temperature check, so our clients are very compliant,” she said.

For persons preferring to access the service remotely, the Programme also provides the virtual conferencing option. “Because of COVID, we have had to facilitate participants via the online modality. I must say there has not been a huge uptake in this and I would link that to some of our clients coming from communities without Internet. This means they are unable to use that modality and still have to come into the centre.

Also, some of them who may have the Internet are not familiar with using Zoom or Microsoft Teams and again prefer the method of just coming in face-to-face and having the social distance,” Ms. Lindsay told JIS News.

Meanwhile, the use of online platforms has improved the Restorative Justice Programme’s ongoing sensitisation efforts.

“With sensitisations we have been trying what we can to conduct sessions online. We have a really good uptake for sensitisations with Justices of the Peace (JPs). We once had about 60 JPs for a session. So, those are quite successful. We’ve also had sessions with 20 and 30 JPs. They were really enjoying the online sensitisation sessions, because they were able to stay within the comfort of their home and just sit down, listen and absorb the information,” Ms. Lindsay said.

Sensitisation sessions incorporate the use of power point slide shows that present the history of Restorative Justice, the referral process and how the procedure works.

In addition to online sensitisation, efforts have also been made to go out in controlled environments to sensitise communities.

Persons interested in using Restorative Justice as an option for dispute resolution can contact the Ministry of Justice at 876-906-4923 or by visiting their website at: moj.gov.jm.