47 boys moved to new Metcalfe Street Remand Centre

KNGSTON — Some 47 boys from the Stony Hill Remand Centre in St. Andrew have been moved to the new Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Centre located downtown Kingston.

The facility, which was officially opened on Wednesday, will provide a safe environment for wards, in keeping with international standards.

Minister of National Security, Senator Dwight Nelson, said the opening of the centre marks a major milestone in juvenile justice and more specifically, how the Government deals with children in state custody.

“This is a part of the Ministry’s goal to ensure public safety and the rights and well-being of youths, who find themselves in conflict with the law,” he stated.

He said that the centre has been built with adequate space requirements, ensuring that the boys are held in conditions of security and safety, while caring for their individual needs. The dormitories are designed with significant safety features including fire escapes and fixtures to reduce risk of harm. 

“Provision has also been made to separate high-risk boys from those presenting very little risk,” Senator Nelson said. “We want to ensure that bullying and similar infractions are minimised, as well as facilitate the delivery of tailor-made rehabilitation and reintegration programmes,” he informed.

As part of the rehabilitation process, the facility will cater to the educational and developmental needs of the youngsters, providing them with critical life skills, and interventions in behaviour modification, drug treatment, drug prevention, anger management, among other things.

In his remarks, Acting Commissioner of Corrections, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Prendergast, said that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is pleased to operationalise the new facility and is committed to implementing the new standards being introduced for the care of juveniles on remand and in correctional centres.

Retrofitted over the last 12 months by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), the $190 million facility was exclusively funded by the Government of Jamaica through the Ministry of National Security and will house a maximum of 208 male juveniles from age 13 to 17 years.

Among the main features of the facility are three, 4-storey dormitory buildings, with two dorms on each floor; and four classrooms, which can accommodate 20 students each. There is also a medical complex with doctor’s office, examination room, sick bay and nurse’s station; canteen area; laundry facility; computer room; library and resource centre; multi-purpose recreational court; and a designated farming area.

The Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Centre is equipped with-state-of-the-art fire escape system which can be operated either by an electric switch, backup battery or manual release. A custom designed water pump system is attached to a 60,000-gallon water tank, and the facility also has a standby generator.

Wards will receive psychological support, training in social and interpersonal relations in addition to basic literacy, and an educational curriculum up to Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) level. 

By LATONYA LINTON, JIS Reporter