Gov’t looking to train more dispute resolution mediators
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government is seeking to train more alternative dispute resolution mediators.
This, according to Justice Minister, Delroy Chuck, forms part of plans to significantly reduce the backlog of court cases.
“The way in which fewer cases can go to the courts is for us to use alternative dispute resolution. Therefore, the ministry will be pushing [for] the training of trainers in mediation because we need more mediators across the island. I will continue to go across the different parishes to ensure that, in every community, we can resolve disputes in a timely manner… using alternative dispute resolution,” he said, while noting that key stakeholders, such as lay magistrates, have pivotal roles to play.
“We must [be able to] show results… and for our local and international partners and all of Jamaica to see results, it means that justice must be delivered in a timely way,” he emphasised.
The minister was speaking at a training seminar for judges and lay magistrates, dubbed ‘Train the Trainer Session: Lay Magistrates’ Court’, at Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, St James, on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Chuck reiterated the Government’s commitment to expanding and promoting restorative justice as an alternative for curbing crime. This, he said, will aid in improving the justice system’s efficiency.
“Restorative justice must play its part, not only in the schools and the churches, but also the communities. We believe mediation can help Jamaicans solve the conflicts in the communities in Jamaica. We solve far too many problems with violence. This cannot be the way,” he argued.
The three-day training session, which ran from September 27 to 29, was organised by the Justice Training Institute (JTI) in tandem with the Justice Undertakings for Social Transformation (JUST) Project, and National Integrity Action (NIA), under the theme ‘Learning through Shared Experience: A Model Approach to Empowering Lay Magistrates as Adjudicators’.
It formed part of a strategic partnership between the Governments of Jamaica and Canada to further develop and bolster the nation’s justice sector.
—JIS
