Restorative Justice White Paper to Be Tabled This Financial Year

The Restorative Justice Policy is being revised with the White Paper expected to be tabled in the House of Representatives during this financial year,.

This, with a view to having an updated Restorative Justice Act shortly thereafter.

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, said the policy’s revision is geared towards improving the National Restorative Justice Programme’s implementation.

Noting that the Green Paper was tabled in 2023/24, Mr. Chuck pointed out that “we embarked on several initiatives for public engagement and feedback and, to date, there have been no objections.”

Restorative Justice is one of the flagship programmes within the Ministry’s Social Justice Division.

It is intended to resolve conflicts by having all parties involved come together to reach an agreement.

The objectives are to repair the harm caused by the offence, reintegrate the offender into the community and achieve a sense of healing for the victim and community.

Minister Chuck, who was making his 2024/25 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives recently, said Restorative Justice (RJ) remains a solid alternative for Jamaicans to resolve conflicts.

“In 2023/24, the hardworking restorative justice staff and dedicated facilitators conducted more than 2,300 case conferences for referrals concerning harms or crimes committed.

“A total of 1,853 agreements were signed which, in most cases, restored relationships between the disputing parties,” he informed during his presentation.

Minister Chuck highlighted the importance of partnerships in curbing maladaptive behaviours and promoting the “talk it out, don’t fight it out” culture.

“We must strengthen the partnerships with our churches and schools. Through these partnerships, we have coordinated more than 381 restorative practice trainings. These sessions have benefitted over 8,707 school administrators, parents and students, individuals from faith-based organisations and other key stakeholders from the private sector,” he informed.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed with the Ministry of Education and Youth for the continued delivery of restorative practice training in schools across the island.

The agreement was signed in February 2024.

Minister Chuck said the RJ programme has maintained a high success rate and remains readily accessible to citizens in all 14 parishes.

There are 400 trained facilitators and another 140 in training and more than 20 justice centres islandwide, he informed.

Mr. Chuck urges more Jamaicans to get sensitised about and use RJ as well as the services offered through the Ministry’s Social Justice Division, which also houses the Victim Services and Child Diversion branches.

Jamaicans can call 888-JUSTICE to access free Legal Aid, Victim Support, Restorative Justice and Child Diversion services.