Make Restorative Justice First Choice In Conflict Resolution

Jamaicans are being encouraged to use restorative justice (RJ) as their first option in resolving conflicts.

RJ Coordinator in the Ministry of Justice, Andriene Lindsay, who was speaking in a recent interview with JIS News, said that the alternative dispute resolution method can be used as an early intervention tool in preventing crime.

“When I hear about a lot of serious crimes such as murder, the root cause of the problem sometimes comes from very trivial issues. Had we intervened early, then we might have been able to save a life. Restorative justice, for us, really represents an early intervention. The earlier that we can intervene, the better it will be,” she said.

RJ is a process whereby all the parties with a stake in a particular offence come together to resolve, collectively, how to deal with the aftermath of the offence.

The process involves the use of conferences, which are structured meetings that provide victims and others with an opportunity to confront the offender, express their feelings, ask questions and have a say in the outcome. Offenders hear first-hand how their behaviour has affected others.

Ms. Lindsay said that the programme is on track to exceed its target of 2,200 conferences for the 2021/2022.

“We’ve already completed 2,015 in the first three quarters of this fiscal year. We will definitely blow this target out of the water as it relates to conferences. We had a target of beneficiaries from sensitisations, as well, where we targeted 14,080 individuals. So far, we have already sensitised 12,378. Again, we are on track to really exceed that target. In fact, we are on track to surpass most of the targets we have set. That goes to show you how much the awareness of restorative justice is growing,” she noted.

Ms. Lindsay said the Ministry wants more people uilising and benefiting from RJ.

“People are becoming more aware of the programme, the courts are referring more persons as are the police, and also, we see where individuals themselves are self-referring. This is always heart-warming to see because, as I’ll always mention, we want to be one of the first interventions that people think of when they think of resolving conflicts. We want it (RJ) to remain at the forefront of people’s minds,” she noted.

“With a concentrated effort, I think we can make a difference in this country, a bigger difference than we already have,” she added.

For more details on how to benefit from restorative justice, persons may visit moj.gov.jm or call 876-906-4923.