Editorial | Encourage mediation and restorative justice

As Jamaica prepares to observe International Peace Day on Monday, this week’s reiteration by Justice Minister Delroy Chuck of his years-old proposal for a major expansion of conflict mediation services in Jamaica, including in communities and schools, is a welcome development.

Indeed, as this newspaper suggested more than three years ago, in the midst of concerns over a post-COVID-19 spiral of violence and other interpersonal conflicts in schools, this matter, whether in communities or schools, should be addressed with the kind of national mobilisation that hasn’t been seen in Jamaica since the JAMAL movement of the 1970s, when thousands of Jamaicans volunteered to teach people to read.

However, while Mr Chuck will inevitably have to bring additional institutions on board for his initiative, such as his intention to develop MOUs for the training of mediators, there is no need to attempt to completely reinvent the wheel, especially with respect to what is done in schools. He must also build on existing programmes with demonstrable track records.

In that regard, especially with respect to his planned efforts in schools, he should fully integrate his initiative with the work of PALS, the NGO that has for more than three decades actively promoted peace and dispute resolution in schools. PALS’ programmes, unfortunately, have in recent times been hindered by a shortage of funding.

INTERPERSONAL CONFLICTS

By most estimates, up to a fifth of the murders committed in Jamaica annually (673 in 2025) result from interpersonal conflicts, often with simple disputes escalating into violence. This problem also exists in schools.

Indeed, a recently released survey by the National Council on Drug Abuse of more than 3,000 students in 32 schools found that nearly half (49 per cent) said that they had been seriously injured in the 12 months before the survey. Nearly three in 10 (27 per cent) admitted to being in physical fights over the period, and a similar proportion said they had been bullied on school premises.

Currently, diversion to mediation for conflicts and disputes is primarily done through the courts, and only around 10 per cent of the more than 20,000 cases handled annually by the island’s parish courts are referred to this alternative resolution system.

In an interview on Nationwide radio this week, Mr Chuck said, beyond the dispute resolution professional used by the courts, he wants to have “identified mediation service providers” in communities as well as trained mediators in schools.

“I will be seeking to have a MOU with the churches, the business community and other institutions to be able to have trained mediators in every institution, especially in the schools,” Mr Chuck said.

In 2022, Minister Chuck announced that similar MOUs had been, or were to be, signed with 13 churches with 3,000 congregations to train their members in mediation and restorative justice skills. It is not clear what the status of that project is. In 2024, he outlined an initiative similar to the one he spoke of this week.

MEDIATION WORKS

Notwithstanding the lack of specifics on the previous programmes, the evidence suggests that mediation and restorative justice initiatives, when properly employed, work. People want to be heard and to believe that perceived injustices against them are being addressed, and in a timely manner. That matters in a country like Jamaica with almost extreme levels of interpersonal conflict.

Indeed, that is why Mr Chuck’s 2024 promise to “move with missionary zeal” to have dispute resolution interlocutors “not only in the schools, but in the churches, the communities, the business places, the construction sites” remains relevant.

Or, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “On this International Day of Peace, let us all be inspired by the courage of those who champion peace in neighbourhoods, classrooms and communities. And let’s call on world leaders to invest in a peaceful future for all people.”

Creating just and peaceful institutions and communities at home enhances Jamaica’s credibility and strengthens its standing to promote and advocate for justice and peace on the global stage.