Attorney-General A.J. Nicholson
IF THE Government has its way, perpetrators of crimes will in future be required to provide some level of compensation to their victims.
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, A.J. Nicholson, says it has been the Government's position that some compensation should be paid to the victims or their families by persons who committed the crimes.
According to Mr. Nicholson, for years the culture has been that it is the State that pays.
"It means then that that culture will have to be reversed. If you are dealing with restorative justice, it is going to be difficult to force people against their will and at the same time deal with restorative justice," the Attorney-General explained while speaking at the launch of the Draft Victims' Charter at a press briefing in Kingston yesterday.
HELP TO COMPENSATE
"A perpetrator should understand the reason why he or his family ought to help to compensate the victim and his family separate and apart from the state enforcing that view," he continued.
The document points out that in the case of an offence involving physical harm to someone where there has been a conviction, no provision is made in law to order compensation to the victim of that crime.
However, for minor offences where the victim finds it burdensome to pursue civil remedies, a court may be empowered to make orders for compensation or restitution and costs.
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