More Justice Centres Coming

The Ministry of Justice plans to establish three additional justice centres over the course of the year into 2022 as part of the continued drive to increase access by Jamaicans to justice services.

The parish justice centres are equipped to handle matters related to child diversion and restorative justice, as well as dispute resolution, among other justice-related issues. They also serve as a point of contact for custodes and justices of the peace.

“We have 11 justice centres in 11 parishes and during the course of this year and next year, we hope to open an additional three justice centres,” said Portfolio Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck.

He was addressing the official reopening of the August Town Restorative Justice Centre on Tuesday (February 2).
The facility was relocated from its previous address at Gordon Town Road into renovated office space at 83 August Town Road.

During the period of relocation, persons from the community were able to access restorative justice services at the St. Andrew Justice Centre on Hagley Park Road.

Minister Chuck said the reopening of the August Town facility brings to 18 the number of restorative justice centres across the island, which are serving citizens at the community level.

He said that the restorative justice strategy, which focuses on bringing people together to peacefully resolve conflicts, can make a difference in addressing crime and violence in the society.

“Restorative justice is a strategy that has proven to resolve disputes and conflicts in Jamaica and if it is adopted at all levels – in schools, communities, across neighbourhoods, across parishes – we have no doubt that the violence and murders that we experience would be substantially reduced,” he added.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information and Member of Parliament for St. Andrew Eastern, Hon. Fayval Williams, in her remarks said that the Centre will assist the August Town community in its journey towards achieving lasting peace.

She noted that the community has been undergoing positive changes since being declared a Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO), and the impending development activities to be undertaken in the area will help to engender peace within August Town and neighbouring communities.

“We are hoping that this time, with the help of the joint security forces here under the ZOSO, the infrastructure development that will happen, the many training programmes, the business enablement that has started and now with this justice centre, that all of those variables will come together in a powerful way that will allow August Town and the surrounding communities to experience peace for a very long time,” she said.

The reopening of the August Town Restorative Justice Centre was part of activities to mark Restorative Justice Week from February 1 to 5.