JPs urged to become child diversion mentors

WESTERN BUREAU:

Tiffany Case, a child diversion officer assigned to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, is urging justices of the peace (JPs) to volunteer as mentors in the National Child Diversion Programme as part of the overall effort to rehabilitate children who come into conflict with the law.

Case, a Clarendon-based JP, made the appeal to her colleagues, citing the need for them to become directly involved in guiding vulnerable children toward positive life choices.

“My favourite part of the Child Diversion Programme is the mentorship aspect. This is where I’m going to beg and plead with all our justices online to come on board and become a mentor,” she said, while speaking Thursday during a Legal Aid Connection Forum hosted by the ministry under the theme ’Know the Law, Save a Child: Under-16 Sexual Offences and Bullying’.

The programme, which operates under the Child Diversion Act of 2018, redirects children between the ages of 12 and 17 away from the formal criminal justice system and into rehabilitation initiatives designed to address the root causes of offending behaviour.

Case explained that children referred to the programme often face challenges such as school absenteeism, substance abuse, trauma, negative peer influence, and unstable family environments.

“We look at the psychosocial issues. Have they received any counselling? Have they been exposed to trauma? And how are we going to fill those gaps?” she said.

She emphasised that mentorship plays a critical role in helping children receive guidance, encouragement, and positive role models while participating in the programme.

“Mentorship helps our children. It gives them guidance, it gives them support while they’re on the programme,” Case stressed.

Under the initiative, volunteer mentors are vetted and trained before being paired with children.

“You’ll get these children to interact with once you are approved, once you apply, once you’re vetted, once you’re trained, and this is of no cost to you,” she told JPs.

Case also noted that the Child Diversion Programme seeks to rehabilitate rather than punish, while protecting children’s prospects and reducing their exposure to the criminal justice system.

“The goal of this programme is to develop and sustain a justice system in the best interest of the child. The best interest of the child is paramount in the administration of programmes, to secure their protection while maintaining the rule of law,” she said.

Interventions under the programme include school re-enrolment, vocational training, counselling, community service, parental training, substance abuse treatment, and sexual and reproductive health education.

According to figures presented during the session, St Catherine has recorded the highest number of child diversion cases since the programme’s launch in March 2020, with 364 cases, followed by St James with 346.

“So, we have a total of 951 coming from the police, but for intervention, we have a total of 903 that have been sent to child diversion,” said Case.

She said the ministry continues to expand its support network and is counting on community leaders, especially JPs, to help transform the lives of at-risk youth.

“If you are not a mentor and you are interested, I’m just going to ask you to reach out to us at the Ministry of Justice’s head office,” she said.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com