Restorative justice practice to control reoffending

Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 November 2024, 23:57 by Writer

Efforts are intensifying to settle certain types of criminal court cases amicably, offer perpetrators an opportunity to cease reoffending and instead contribute to healing, officials associated with the Restorative Justice programme said Wednesday.

Restorative Justice practitioners are being trained and deployed countrywide to assist magistrates in arriving at decisions based on referrals of certain cases under the Restorative Justice Act.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall said the project envisages the restorative justice officers working closely with probation officers in assisting the courts to arrive at decisions that would for the most part not be punitive. He said over the past 100 years, evidence showed that harsh punishment such as the death penalty, cat-o-nine tails, hard labour, solitary confinement have not helped to reduce crimes. “In fact, our crime statistics will show, horrifyingly so, that they are increasing to an extent now where it is accepted at the level of the Heads of Government of CARICOM that crime is now a public health threat,” he told the opening of the training session for Restorative Justice officers.

Except for violence, capital offences, sexual offences, and offences involving children; he said magistrates were now expected to “farm out” the other cases to restorative justice officers who would be tasked with dispute resolution and identification of the root of the problems through engagements with the victims and perpetrators. The law provides for, among other remedies, compensation, public apology and other agreements that could end antagonism between the parties. “Serving a sentence doesn’t necessarily repair the wound of the victim. The punishment, sometimes, is disconnected and bears no relationship whatsoever with the wound—psychological, physical or otherwise—that the victim endures,” Mr Nandlall said. The Attorney General said restorative justice, instead, allows for the removal of poison, hatred and animosity after serving a jail sentence.

Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings said restorative justice also seeks to engage communities, victims and offenders in arriving at a “better system”. “Society likes to be involved, society has a view about sentencing, society has a view of right and wrong and society would be given a chance to respond in the processes of restorative justice,” she said. She hoped that that new system would increase public trust and confidence in the justice system.

Senior International Assistance Officer at the Canadian High Commission, Tariq Clarke remarked that restorative justice emphasises healing, accountability and the restoration of relationships. He explained that such an approach addresses harm caused by criminal behaviour through inclusive and constructive dialogue by giving victims a sense of closure and encourages those responsible for harm to take accountability and make amends.

Canada is supporting the Restorative Justice programme in Guyana.

The second Hope and Justice Centre was opened this week in Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo.