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Juvenile Services

Home Pages Juvenile Services
Juvenile Correctional Centres
Vocational Skills Training/Activities
Educational Programs
Juvenile Correctional Centres Location
Juvenile Correctional Centres

Juvenile Correctional Centres, formerly Approved Schools are rehabilitation centres providing educational service for children, ages of 12-18 years. It must be pointed out that these institutions are not prisons but residential setting for children whom the court determines require confinement in a structured environment that will aid in their rehabilitation. There is a significant decrease in the number of children. In 2012 the population exceeded 400. However, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of National Security, the numbers have remained below 260 in many instances with remandees making up about 50%.

Juvenile Correctional Institutions are part of the Custodial Arm of the Department. Currently there are three (3) juvenile correctional centres and one (1) Remand Centre. The Remand Centre provides temporary housing for boys whose matters are being dealt with by the Courts. Juvenile Correctional Centres accommodate children who receive a Correctional Order which stipulates the time that a child should spend in the institution.

 

Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Remand Centre

South Camp Juvenile Remand & Correctional Centre

Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre

Hill Top Juvenile Correctional Centre

There are two types of residential facilities under the general rubric of juvenile correctional centres: high security and medium. The high security is for children who demonstrate a need for maximum control and intensive residential care services for example, the Hill Top Juvenile Correctional Centre and Metcalfe Street Secure Remand Centre. The minimum security institutions are those facilities in which children can enter or leave the facility under staff supervision. These are the South Camp Correctional Centre for girls and Rio Cobre Juvenile Centre for boys. The children can also leave the facility on Licence or Home Leave.

Although most of the children in our juvenile correctional facilities have been victims of varying forms of abuses, they are very talented and generally display willingness to learn especially when they are engaged in activities that stimulate their interests.

A major difference in our education programme is that our children arrive and leave any time during the year, making it difficult to deliver the curriculum to all students at the same time as obtained in the regular schools. Although we are challenged in managing the learning difficulties inherent in our context, we work closely with the Ministry of Education and intend to strengthen the partnership so that we can better address the needs of the children in our care.

In addition to academic, vocational and information technology programme, the following form part of the annual events: sports day, culture/Jamaica Day, Heroes Week celebration, Parents Day, Christmas Dinner and award ceremony.

Staff members will share that working with children in correctional facilities is not easy. Training in the following areas provides support:

  • Medical health screening and treatment
  • Conflict resolution
  • Human rights, child rights
  • Adolescent reproductive health
  • Personal development and planning
  • Interpersonal relationship and communication skills
  • Suicide/self harm management/prevention

Vocational Skills Training/Activities

Several wards have been trained and certified as barbers and have also been exposed to Art and Craft

BARBERING

HOME ECONOMICS

TAILORING

Great progress has been made in the area of farming despite the limited space. The cultivation of vegetables and bananas has contributed to the development of the wards in several ways.

  • It has supplemented their dietary needs.
  • Empowers them with attitude and skills that will help them when they are reintegrated into society.
  • Eggs produced are used to supplement the meals for the wards.

Aquanponics At Metcalfe Street

Educational Programs

All wards are exposed to the various Educational Skill Training programs at the institution. These programs include but not limited to, Numeracy and literacy skills, Computer training, Agriculture, Clothing and Textile, Art and Craft, Home Economics, Principles of Business, Principles of Business, Office Procedures, Social Studies, Human and Social Biology, Music and Physical Education.

Computer room, library/Reading room

Spelling Competition: Winner – Hill Top

Music

Wards in Classroom

Juvenile Correctional Centres Location
Name Address
Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre Tredegar Park, Spanish Town, St. Catherine
Hill Top Juvenile Correctional Centre Bamboo, St. Ann
South Camp Juvenile Remand & Correctional Centre South Camp Road, Kingston
Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Remand Centre Hanna Town, Kingston 14

Recent Posts

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  • Invitation To Bid

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Transformational work at the DCS

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About

Correctional Services in Jamaica is a department under the Ministry of National Security. Other major arms of the Ministry are the Police Force and the Jamaica Defence Force. The Judicial System falls under the Ministry of Justice. The Commissioner of Corrections is the chief executive officer who administers the Correctional programmes on behalf of the Government of Jamaica and reports to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Security.

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5-7 King Street, Kingston, Jamaica
1(876) 922-0021-2 / 967-2781-3
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