Jamaicans Urged to Utilise Restorative Justice Services

Jamaicans are being implored to make use of the services available at the restorative justice (RJ) centres in their communities to peacefully settle disputes with each other.

“In petty discussions, petty quarrels [there is] the inability of some of us to give some ground and to compromise. So restorative justice [plays] a key role in cauterising some of the issues that arise when they are first detected,” said Custos of St. James, Bishop the Hon. Conrad Pitkin.

He made the call in a speech delivered by Chairman of the Child Divergent Programme in St. James and Justice of the Peace, Leroy Gray, during a Restorative Justice Week community open day and sensitisation at the Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay on Wednesday (February 8).

Restorative justice seeks to resolve conflicts by having all parties involved come together to reach an agreement.

Custos Pitkin, in touting the benefits of the alternative justice method, said it can play a key role in reducing violent crimes and building peaceful and healthy communities.

“When we listen and hear of the different murders and the different types of conflicts, they sometimes start from very trivial matters that probably could have been avoided had there been intervention in the early stages,” he pointed out.

“Because of this lack of early intervention, the murder rate escalates and persons end up getting into situations which ought to have been avoided in the first place,” Bishop Pitkin contended.

He commended the Justice Ministry for its proactive approach in sensitising citizens about the importance of restorative justice as a tool in quelling disputes, which reduces the stress on the legal system.

Scores of people were educated about the benefits of restorative justice during the public awareness event at Harmony Beach Park.

Participants were also sensitised about the importance of physical and emotional health, wellness and balance, and being at peace with oneself and others.

In an interview with JIS News, Acting National Restorative Justice Coordinator in the Justice Ministry, Saccsha Ebanks, said the event sought to highlight how being at peace with oneself can translate to peaceful communities.

“Jamaica has a problem with being at peace with one another, and peace has to be experienced inside for one to be at peace with others. We [in RJ] have a theme that says, ‘restore the peace restore the love, restore the kindness’ and as simple as those things might seem, it seems to be evading us in this nation,” she lamented.

Restorative Justice Week is being observed from February 5 to 11 under the theme ‘Stories of Restoration… Everyone Has a Say, the RJ Way’.