Community hall move praised

By ELIZABETH VUVU
RABAUL MP Dr Allan Marat says a community justice service centre in his district will play a vital role in restorative justice.
Speaking yesterday at the Rabaul district administration office at Kurakakaul during a ground-breaking ceremony for the implementation of the project, he said the centre was important as restorative justice would be administered to the people who really needed it.
“This concept of restorative justice is very important when we are dealing with human beings whose mindsets are not always static,” he said.
“The concept of restorative justice is to help put the life of an individual back to its original state of mind or economic situation.” He said restorative justice did not only apply to those accused who went to jail but also for the victims and their families.
“I am happy that the Rabaul DDA board recognised the need to allocate funding to roll out the project in the hope that once established, our young people will benefit and go back into communities.”
Marat said the scarcity of resources at the national level affected each district’s resource package and unless these resources were managed properly, many young people would turn to crime.
Marat commended the Kerevat jail for involving its inmates in cutting grass in town areas, saying this was training in itself in how an individual could be restored slowly in their mindset spiritually and physically.
Rabaul district administrator, Marakan Uvano commended the collaborative efforts of the Department of Justice and Attorney-General, the district and provincial administration to launch the centre.
He said the district was proud to be one of the sub-national institutions to deliver government policy.