The Editor, Sir:

The picture of Mr. Earl Pratt making his 30-year stride out of prison must gladden the hearts of all those human rights advocates who took his case to the Privy Council. But what gladdened my heart were the words you quoted him as saying: "I want to say sorry to the family of the deceased for what happened 30 years ago", backed up by his reported conduct in rehabilitating other violent inmates and reducing the crime rate in the prison, and his expressed intention "to focus on giving motivational talks to young people".

His apology and conduct over the past three decades are what restorative justice is all about - remorse and deep commitment to repair a damage. It is these sentiments and behaviours that should be at the centre of the debate over capital punishment, over life for life versus the attempt to heal and amend.

What I would love to see is a meeting of Mr. Pratt and the family of his victim, his offer of service to them and their generosity of spirit towards him, both sides the better for marrying compunction with forgiveness.

The reform of the complex creature called the Jamaican justice system covers a multifaceted range of interconnected initiatives. One of them focuses on "doing justice and building peace", which is what restorative justice is about, rather than on the distribution of awards and punishments, which is largely what the present system is about. Restorative justice encourages "collaboration and reintegration of both victims and offenders, rather than coercion and isolation".

If at the end of 10 years not one courthouse was modernised, not one measure taken to restructure the hub of the system, namely the resident magistracy, not one computer installed, not a single step made to ameliorate the hurtful delays, if indeed not one inch of progress was made in any of the nearly 170 recommendations, but the one on restorative justice was implemented to the maximum, think what a less murderous, less violent, more peaceful and happier society this troubled island of ours would have become.

Thanks to Mr. Pratt for showing that this is not a pipe dream but a distinct possibility.

I am, etc.,

BARRY CHEVANNES

barry.chevannes@uwimonaedu.jm