Gov't continues restorative justice push

The Justice Ministry is reporting that since April, it has sensitised more than 2,600 persons under its Restorative Justice Programme as it continues efforts to reduce the backlog in the courts.

The programme focuses on helping community members to resolve minor disputes before they escalate and enter the court system.

One justice centre and nine restorative justice centres have been opened islandwide since the passing of the Restorative Justice Act in 2016.

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

Anyone seeking to resolve a dispute can request a conference by calling the Ministry of Justice. 

This community-based approach to the administration of justice, places a focus on rehabilitation to reduce the rate of re-offending.

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