Justice Minister Urges Justices of the Peace to Champion Community Mediation

Justices of the Peace (JPs) are being asked to take on a wider part in easing tensions and guiding communities toward peaceful ways of settling disagreements. Hon. Delroy Chuck, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, said JPs can strengthen public order by intervening in disputes early, before they erupt into violence.

Addressing a virtual JP Sensitisation Session on June 25, Mr. Chuck praised JPs as "noble citizens across Jamaica," and noted that the country still faces serious difficulties, with crime, violence, and weak respect for law and order ranking among the most urgent. "This is where our Justices of the Peace can contribute, in terms of maintaining and securing peace and order across every nook and cranny of Jamaica," he said.

The Minister tied much violent offending to long-running personal conflicts between people who already know each other. "Our problem in Jamaica is that our people don't get along. Every disrespect, every little incident, they start to use abuse and violence… which they believe can solve their problems. Most of these so called 'solutions', be it abuses, threats, violence… they solve nothing… they actually increase the problems," he told participants.

Mr. Chuck described mediation as a channel through which opposing sides can settle differences without resorting to force. "So one of the things that mediation does is that, mediators can get the warring parties… the people with differences and conflicts… together, then you can [guide them toward] a win-win situation," he explained.

He also pointed to the Government's ongoing support for court-referred mediation, with the Ministry bearing the cost when parties cannot pay for a mediator. Expenditure stood at just under $10 million when the programme started, climbed to approximately $13 million in 2024, and reached close to $55 million in 2025. Mr. Chuck said he expects spending to pass $55 million this year, adding that higher outlays would signal more disputes being settled through mediation.

While murder figures have dipped so far this year, the Minister cautioned that many killings still stem from domestic quarrels among familiar parties—a pattern he said "[this] does not solve the problem." He invited JPs to take part in future sensitisation sessions, sharpen their grasp of mediation, and support calm conflict resolution in the communities they serve.