Although the Chief Justice's remarks today were a brief catalog of some of the Judiciary's activities last year, he did have a few disclosures which caught our attention.
During his presentation, he shared details of a Child Diversion Program that the state is trying to implement. It is designed as an outreach initiative to discourage young defendants from becoming repeat offenders later in their lives.
Here's what the Chief Justice had to say about this pilot program:
Hon. Kenneth Benjamin - Chief Justice
"On April 14th, 2019, Magistrates who are required to sit in Family Court were sensitized on the pilot diversion program being implemented by the Community Rehabilitation Department in 3 select locations: namely Belize City, San Ignacio in the Cayo District and Dangriga in the Stann Creek District. The pilot is intended to inform a national diversion program to fill a gap in respect of children in conflict with the law for minor offenses, consistent with treaty obligations under the Convention of the Rights of the Child. It's main components allow for diversion at 2 stages: one's by the police, and second is by the court. The process is guided by draft protocol developed by a consultant in September 2017, under the guidance of the National Committee for Families and Children with assistance from UNICEF. The objective is to reduce the number of children entering the criminal justice system or to curb repeat offenses. In this way, the likelihood of children graduating to more serious offenses would be reduced, with an overall effect on the front end."
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