ABSTRACT
The general feeling of litigant in criminal justice system is one of alienation, disenchantment and disenfranchisement. Without a conscious decision to introduce court annexed Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) into jurisprudence of Caribbean, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago seem to have commenced a creeping process in that direction. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is entitled to be heard by court, before the court determines to make a mediation order. The Dispute Resolution Foundation was incorporated under the Companies Act. To bring restorative justice reform to our criminal and juvenile justice systems, to empower victims, offenders and communities to heal the effects of crime. The United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice has been working on a draft declaration of basic principles on the use of restorative justice programs. It is hoped that lawmakers, leaders of thought and designers of public policy may be persuaded that the potential gains in trying out these initiatives far outweigh the potential risks.
