Restorative Justice Week Slated for February 4-11

This year’s 15th staging of Restorative Justice Week takes place from February 4 to 11 under the theme ‘Transformation, Peace and Harmony through Restorative Justice’.

The event is being hosted by the Restorative Justice Branch under the Ministry of Justice.

Branch Director, Joanalee Robertson, told a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ on Monday (January 29) that the activities will allow Jamaicans to access first-hand information about the programme and its impact, “not just in their community but across parishes and, by extension, the wider society”.

The engagements will commence with a National Church Service on February 4. This is slated for the New Beulah Moravian Church in Mandeville, Manchester, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

“So, in celebrating our theme, we’re inviting persons to come out to worship with us as we start the week on [this] footing, recognising that through the assistance of our Heavenly Father, we can proceed into what lies ahead,” Mrs. Robertson said.

The Week continues on February 6 with the re-signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Education and Youth, which facilitates the use of RJ practices in conflict resolution interventions in schools.

The MOU, which was first signed by the Ministries in 2022, aims to equip students and other education stakeholders with the requisite skills and strategies to resolve conflicts and disputes.

Mrs. Robertson notes that the MOU, now in its fourth cohort of training, has yielded significant results so far.

“We have successfully trained over 8,000 participants, and this is inclusive of not just students but also parents and teachers as well [and] various administrative staff. We have taken this collaborative approach, recognising that the school is a major socialising agent for society; and so, what better fitting space – in addition to our churches and our homes – where we can then equip persons with the proper conflict-resolution strategies,” she said.

Mrs. Robertson noted that persons living outside the Corporate Area will have the benefit of services being provided by team members, facilitators and other allied stakeholders from RJ centres across the country, who will be mobilised to conduct various activities on February 6.

“They are going to be having their individual activities to ensure that persons within their communities and within their parish can access restorative justice; and not only… access it, but [be enlightened on] what restorative justice is and the benefits to each of the parties where they utilise restorative justice,” she said.

On February 7, the 15th annual RJ Conference will be held at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Mrs. Robertson informed that the Conference, which is the week’s main activity, will bring together key stakeholders and members of the public with a focus on youth participation.

“We want young people to have a voice. We want them to contribute. We want them to share how it is that we can make our services better, how it is that we can reach them. We want them to be a part of the dialogue because restorative justice and restorative practices is not one-sided; it is all inclusive… and so everybody has a say,” she emphasised.

An RJ Practice Training in High Schools Awards Ceremony for institutions completing the training programme is slated for February 8.

RJ Practice interventions for several high schools are scheduled for February 9.

Restorative Justice Week concludes with parish church services islandwide on February 10 and 11.

“So it is a week that promises to be exciting. We are so excited for it that we want persons to come on board and we want them to see that restorative justice is not just another programme; it is a program that is timely and timeless. Crime prevention is everybody’s business,” Mrs. Robertson said.

For more information on Restorative Justice and RJ Week activities, contact the Ministry of Justice toll-free at 888-JUSTICE (888-587-8423) or visit their website at www.moj.gov.jm.