Jamaica developing child diversion policy
Dear Editor,
The Ministry of Justice is developing a National Child Diversion Policy that will establish and sustain a justice system in which the best interests of the child are paramount and the rule of law is maintained. This initiative is a part of the National Plan of Action on Child Justice being spearheaded by the ministry. The National Child Protection Programme through the National Plan of Action on Child Justice seeks to bring about necessary changes to address the incidence of violence against children and, at the same time, relieve the burden on the formal judicial system.
Like most successful ventures, the National Plan of Action for Child Justice is a collaborative effort. The ministries of justice, national security, health, education, and youth sports and culture, along with other government agencies, such as the Child Development Agency, the Planning Institute of Jamaica, Department of Correctional Services and the Office of the Children’s Advocate are some of the partners engaged in this imitative.
The Child Diversion Policy is being developed as a governance mechanism to ensure the success of two of the strategic objectives of the Plan of Action, specifically to promote diversion as a tool of restorative justice and establish diversion committees in each parish.
Child Diversion parish committees will be established to assess cases that will be diverted from the formal justice system. The proposed composition of each parish board will have a justice of the peace, a probation officer, a children’s officer, a minister of religion, a school guidance counsellor, and a child under the age of 18.
Child diversion is a tool that has been successfully implemented and is being successfully utilised in many other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, Ireland and Australia. The ministry is confident that the diversion efforts will be successful in Jamaica.
The establishment of a National Plan of Action for Child Justice will enable Jamaica to be more compliant with a number of international treaties on child justice, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (the Beijing rules) and the United Nations guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency to which Jamaica is a signatory.
Kahmile Reid
Communication Specialist
Ministry of Justice
kahmile.reid@moj.gov.jm