Guyana increases restorative justice resolution rate to 85 percent
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
William Orrin Boston, the Director of the Restorative Justice Centre in Guyana, reported that the nation's restorative justice resolution rate rose from 80 percent to 85 percent in 2026.
Boston shared these results during a forum in Georgetown to promote a shared understanding of restorative justice and to clarify the roles of various stakeholders in the system. The restorative justice system in Guyana uses a unique pre-charge process that Boston noted could serve as a model for other countries.
To expand this reach, the Restorative Justice Centre plans to increase its number of operational centers from nine to 11 by the end of 2026. This growth will allow the organization to serve 49 out of the 53 courts in the country across nine regions. Boston also noted that the number of restorative justice officers will increase from 18 to 31 by the end of the year.
These figures follow a period of growth where the center handled 73 cases by December 2025 with an 80 percent success rate. The center is currently developing a national referral pathway directory to identify potential support service providers for these cases. Justice Roxane George, the acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, urged magistrates to adopt these restorative principles despite heavy caseloads and upcoming performance standards in the draft Criminal Justice Code.
She explained that the judiciary plans to introduce wellness courts to provide person-centered, problem-solving approaches. These efforts build on the Restorative Justice Act 2022, which gives judicial officers a structured framework to address crime through reconciliation.
