Dr. Pierre Allard - Contributed

Rev. Dr. Pierre Allard, assistant commissioner for community engagement in the correctional service of Canada, heads a list of presenters from overseas, who will address an international conference tomorrow under the theme: Restorative Justice - Toward Nation Building and Governance.

Rev. Allard, who is the keynote speaker at the conference, has been engaged in the spiritual sustenance of prisoners for over a quarter of a century. His work has placed him at the forefront of the new restorative justice movement, which brings together communities, offenders and victims of crime to discuss the effects of criminal acts on the community.

Organised jointly

The two-day conference, which will be held at the Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville, is organised jointly by the university's Behavioural Science Department, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Dispute Resolution Foundation and the ministries of justice and national security.

Governor-General Professor Kenneth Hall, last Sunday, proclaimed this week as Restorative Justice Week. Carol Palmer, permanent secretary in the Justice Ministry read the proclamation during the National Atonement Service held at Portmore Seventh Day Adventist Church.