Restorative Justice Week to Be Observed Jan 30 to Feb 5

The Justice Ministry will observe Restorative Justice Week with several activities from Sunday (January 30) to Saturday (February 5).

This year’s week of activities will be observed under the theme “Crime Prevention Through Restorative Justice, is Everybody’s Business.”

Coordinator for the Restorative Justice Programme Andriene Lindsay, who was speaking in a recent interview with JIS News, says crime on a whole in Jamaica is a big problem and the aim is to focus on a multi-stakeholder approach in finding solutions.

“What we’re really trying to do this year is to incorporate key entities and have them working together. A cohesive, multi-agency approach is really the only way that we’re going to see a reduction in crime prevention in clients. As the theme suggests, it really is everybody’s business from the man on the street, to the man in the CEO’s office, everyone has a part to play.” she said.

Activities begin with the National Thanksgiving Service at the Boulevard Baptist Church on Sunday (January 30) beginning at 11 am.

“That service will consist of a range of presentations which will allow us to share with the attendees what Restorative Justice is and how it can impact Jamaica. This year, the National Thanksgiving Service will be streamed as well as services from different churches across the island will also be streaming on the day.” she said.

On Monday (January 31), 74 Restorative Justice Facilitators will graduate in two ceremonies to be held between 9am and 5pm.

Ms. Lindsay explained that with restrictions on the number of persons allowed at events, the ministry decided to have two graduation ceremonies.

“They’ve been through the theory which was done online. This means for the very first time we will have a cohort of graduates from our online training programme. They also completed a practicum which was done in a Restorative Justice Centre…over a three-month period and they are now ready to graduate,” she said.

On Tuesday (February 1), the Justice Ministry will open the 19th Restorative Justice Centre on the island in Pembroke Hall.

Ms. Lindsay also said that on Wednesday (February 2), the Restorative Justice Facilitators will be recognised for their commitment to their jobs.

“We want to take the time to really recognise what they have done to the programme, we really couldn’t do it without them,” she expressed.

The Ministry’s ‘Restorative Justice in the Corporate Environment’ discussion and the Restorative Justice and Youth discussion forum will both take place on Thursday (February 3).

The corporate environment discussion seeks to introduce Restorative Justice practices to the workplace, as an effective tool for conflict resolution.

The youth discussion which will be held at the Justice Ministry’s head office at 61 Constant Spring Road, will seek to engage young people about their role in the process of crime prevention.

“We want to talk to youth and hear what they have to say about how we’ve impacted them and what they can contribute in a meaningful way to reducing conflicts and crimes in their areas and schools. We know young people have gone back to school now and there can be a lot of built up frustration and tension,” She said.

Meanwhile, the 13th Annual Restorative Justice Conference will be held on Friday (February 4) at the Terra Nova Hotel. The conference will engage key stakeholders and look at the work of Restorative Justice so far.

On Saturday (February 5), the closing church service will be held at the Hagley Park Seventh Day Adventist Church and is scheduled to begin at 11 am.

To follow the activities for the week, persons can visit the ministry’s social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @MOJOFFICIALJM.