First Parish Justice Centre opens in St Ann

The island’s first Parish Justice Centre has been opened in St Ann.

A government-owned building, left idle for years along Tucker Avenue in St Ann’s Bay, was renovated at a cost $30 million.

The Centre will provide alternative dispute resolution services in areas such as restorative justice, child diversion and mediation.

At a ceremony yesterday, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck said the government is moving towards increasing access to justice services to communities.

Chuck said the Parish Justice Centres will, among other things, expand the justice system’s capacity for quasi-judicial proceedings; reduce the cost of accessing justice, and reduce case backlog at courts.

Justice Centres are scheduled to be opened in Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town in Kingston next week, followed by another one in Buff Bay, Portland.