Restorative Justice Training for St. James Faith-Based Community

The Ministry of Justice, through its Restorative Justice Unit, is carrying out training sessions with faith-based groups in St. James, which will empower members to promote restorative justice practices in their communities.

One of the more recent sessions took place at the Lighthouse of Faith Ministries International Church where more than 20 leaders and members representing the communities of Lilliput, Flanker, Norwood, Melbourne in Salt Spring, Rose Heights, Rosemount Gardens, Mount Salem and West Green were engaged over two days.

Participants were exposed to mediation and violence de-escalation methods, and how to convene restorative circles where persons can address issues causing conflicts and have them resolved.

Coordinator of the training session and pastor with responsibility for the Flanker community, Rev. Sydney Ward, told JIS News that the training will create “a paradigm shift in how we relate to our communities”.

“What appealed to me most,” he said, “was that [the training] started by addressing issues with the individual. We can’t keep behaving the same way and expect a difference [in the results] of our efforts. What… this training does is shift our mindsets, our thinking in … sorting out [our issues].

“If everybody, starting with the smallest of conflicts, can look towards solving them peacefully, that will be a great step forward in restoring Jamaica’s communities into being safe and peaceful places where we choose to talk it out and not fight it out,” he contended.

Rev. Ward said that the participants are excited to start applying their new and reinforced techniques in conflict resolution.

Minister in charge of the church’s Community Outreach Programme with responsibility for the Rose Heights community, Rev. Donovan Craigie, also welcomed the training, which he described as “timely and relevant”.

“There is a proverb that says, ‘a stitch in time, saves nine’, and teaching us to resolve conflicts at the inception and at the early stages will go a far way in assisting us in keeping the peace in our communities and reduce the strain on our national security (police), our justice system and our health sector,” he pointed out.

Rev Craigie commended the Justice Ministry for arranging the training.

He noted that “as a church, we spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and training us to resolve conflicts is part of how we function. You have empowered us on how to be more effective ministers of the Gospel. I am sure that we will see the fruits of your labour coming through the peace that it will engender in our communities”.

On September 6, 2022, the Ministry of Justice through its Restorative Justice Unit signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the leaders of 13 umbrella groups of churches to train church members and leaders in restorative justice practices.

In a subsequent address to Parliament, portfolio Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, noted that the group of 13 represented more than 3,000 congregations across Jamaica, and will join a total of 2,398 teachers, students and parents who have been recently equipped in restorative justice practices in 81 schools across the island.