Project profile — The Social Justice Project (So-JUST)

• Jamaica (100.00%)

• Legal and judicial development:
Legal and judicial development (15130) (80.00%)
Justice, law and order policy, planning and administration (15131) (20.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Disability (significant objective)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• Children's issues (significant objective)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)

This project contributes to improving rights-based and gender-sensitive justice systems to achieve more equitable outcomes for all Jamaicans and ensure gender equality results. Project activities include: (1) increasing access to justice services such as mediation, restorative justice, child diversion programs and child justice coordination systems, which helps improve justice outcomes and reduce case backlog in the Courts; (2) strengthening and extending access of legal-aid services, especially for women, girls and rural communities; (3) strengthening the Justice Training Institute by updating gender-responsive curricula and supporting improved online technologies to increase training options; (4) supporting the development of a courts record management system; and (5) providing updated and new justice information and educational communication products. This project directly benefits the poorest and most disadvantaged users of justice services, particularly survivors of gender-based violence.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) strengthened institutions, systems and legislation that advance the rights and equitable outcomes for women and girls and other disadvantaged groups; and (2) improved effectiveness in the delivery of justice services to the most disadvantaged groups, including women and girls.

Results achieved as of December 2023 include: (1) conducted a needs assessment and completed a costed implementation plan for an integrated electronic case management system for the Justice sector; (2) provided 30 stenography machines and 30 laptops for the Courts and Justice Training Institute to improve efficiencies in court reporting; (3) established a competitive small grants fund for civil society participation in delivering community-based justice services. Awarded one grant to Children First to support children in contact or in conflict with the law; and (4) held the first legal outreach justice fair, targeting people with disabilities in December 2023, in St. James Parish. This enabled198 people to participated (97 women and 101 men).

• Proactive disclosure