Chuck urges religious leaders to volunteer
with VSU and serve as JPs

Press Release

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck chairs meeting with religious leaders at the Ministry's Head Office on Oxford Road. 

September 12, 2011 - The Minister of Justice, the Honourable Delroy Chuck, met with religious leaders from several denominations and organizations  on Thursday, (September 8, 2011), to have consultations on how they can assist the Ministry in their respective capacities.

Chief among the issues discussed was the Victim Support Unit, a Unit in the Ministry which was established to assist victims of crime across Jamaica, through counseling.

“We need some more personnel and volunteers, to assist persons who are traumatized and some of the best persons to give us some assistance are the pastors in the communities who understand when people are traumatized,” Minister Chuck said.

To that end he said he wanted the Ministers’ Fraternal right across Jamaica to lend some additional support to the Victim Support Unit. This, he said, could be done through the church leaders themselves volunteering as well as recommending and recruiting volunteers to counsel victims in their respective parishes.

“I know that people feel more comfortable and willing to talk to a pastor more so than a teacher, a policeman or even their family. This is why I think it is so important for more pastors to volunteer to counsel for the VSU, as we have far too many situations in Jamaica where people feel as if they have no one to turn to,” the Justice Minister said.

Director of the VSU, Reverend Osbourne Bailey, who was present at the meeting, explained that the VSU was established in 1998 out of a need to extend the level of support offered to victims of crimes.

In addition to utilizing trained social workers and psychologists, the VSU is also supported by a large number of volunteers, including students of tertiary institutions who are doing the practicum component of their studies (in Social Work and Psychology). Other groups, such as the National Youth Service, have also provided persons to work in non-specialist areas.

More Justices of the Peace

Also high on the agenda was the appointment of more Justices of the Peace (JPs) and church leaders offering themselves to serve in this capacity. The Minister emphasized that there is a shortage of JPs across the island, and this is something he intended to change during the course of the next few months.

“We need to double, perhaps, triple the number of JPs in Jamaica…Not only do we need more (JPs), but we need people of high moral standing in the community and people of integrity and honesty to become JPs, quite frankly, I think more pastors need to serve in this capacity.”

Mr. Chuck said he is slated to meet with Custodes this month (September) and he will be asking them to encourage their colleagues and to recommend more persons to be appointed to serve, as the jurisdiction of the JPs will be expanded and the Ministry does not want to overwork those who have voluntarily agreed to serve.

Present at the meeting were:

Pastor Eric Nathans - Jamaica Union of SDA; Pastor Franz Fletcher - Church on the Rock; Pastor Ian Muirhead - Upper Room Community Church; John Keane - Caribbean Graduate School of Theology; Mrs. Veda Fagan - Elliston Methodist Church and the Jamaica Council of Churches; Yves Bergeron - Caribbean Graduate School of Theology and Church of God in Jamaica; Rev. Devon Brown – Chairman of the Jamaica Pentecostal Union Apolostic; Rev. Rennard White - President  of the Jamaica Association of Evangelicals; Bruce Fletcher - Operation Save Jamaica and Pastor of Christian Life Fellowship; Dr. Las Newman - President of the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology; Rev. Lensworth Anglin - Executive Chairman of the Church of God In Jamaica and Coordinator  of the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches.