VSB Providing Special Intervention Programmes for Children

Director of the Victim Services Branch (VSB) in the Ministry of Justice, Dionne Dawn Binns, says a slew of special intervention programmes are available for children who are victims of crime or are at risk.

She told JIS News that children make up the majority of the branch’s clientele at around 50 per cent, leading to the creation of these interventions based on their age and level of maturity.

“We have to tailor our intervention specifically to deal with them, whereas an adult can just access the services. We have, for instance, what we call a Cultural Resocialisation Programme, and that programme is one where we take a group of at-risk or traumatised children to what we call a green area for a day of therapy,” she noted.

Ms. Binns further informed that many of the children targeted for the programme are from communities where they do not have access to green spaces.

She said that through the initiative, the children come in contact with nature and receive a day of therapeutic healing.

“We provide them with a day of therapy, taking them through a range of interventions for the day that seek to help with cognitive restructuring, behaviour modification and generally teaching them coping skills,” she told JIS News.

Ms. Binns informed that support is also available for girls and women who are victims of sexual violence, through its Overcomer in Action Programme.

“This is done over a period of six weeks, and it’s done in a group setting, and these persons, again, are taken through a series of interventions that help to treat with the trauma that they’re facing. It helps to empower them to be able to assist others who may find themselves in similar situations, and we have seen great success with these programmes over the years,” he said.

In addition, for children who must interface with the judicial system, either as victims or witnesses, there is support through the VSB Court Support Programme to reduce the level of trauma and fear that they may experience from the process.

“This support is provided to them before the case is called up, during the matter, and also after,” the VSB Director said.

“Some of the things that we do is to prepare them for the process through education of what they can expect, educating them about the layout of the court, the persons that they will interface with and also preparing them, especially in the case where they are the primary victim, for the fact that they’re going to see the perpetrator in the room,” she noted.

Besides accompanying children to court to provide moral support, the VSB can also inform the court about a child’s state-of-readiness for court proceedings, Ms. Binns told JIS News.

“We provide what we call a readiness report to the courts. This is where the court will request from us a report stating whether the individual is ready to give their testimony, and this readiness is not based on the facts of their case. It’s really based on their emotional state and whether they’re able to go through the process at that time,” she explained.

For more information on the services of the Victim Services Branch, persons may contact 888-JUSTICE (888-587-8423) or visit the Justice Ministry’s website at moj.gov.jm.