THE Ministry of Justice is hoping that its Restorative Justice Programme will help to reduce minor disputes, and as such prevent them from entering the court and clogging up the system.

According to the ministry, it has sensitised 2,620 people between April and June this year about the programme, which focuses on involving members of the community in the resolving of minor disputes before they escalate into the court system.

To date, one justice centre and nine Restorative Justice Centers have been opened islandwide since the passing of the Restorative Justice Act in 2016. The most recent Restorative Justice centres were opened in Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town, Kingston last month.

The process of restorative justice involves the use of justice conferences, which bring together the offender and the victim in minor disputes as well as members of the community with trained facilitators in order to repair the harm caused by the offence and to reintegrate the offender into the community.

“This community-based approach to the administration of justice places a focus on rehabilitation in order to reduce the rate of recidivism. The justice conferences are led by justices of the peace with the help of trained volunteers,” the justice ministry said.

“Restorative justice is a different way of doing justice. At the heart of the programme, is grace and forgiveness. My hope is that Jamaica realises that there is a free service available for those seeking to resolve a dispute with either their neighbours, coworkers or other members of their community,” said Kahilah Whyte, coordinator for the Restorative Justice Unit at the Ministry of Justice.

“It is a pathway for transformation to a more just, secure and peaceful Jamaica,” she said.