Caribbean States Urged to Treat Correctional Services as Critical Component of National Security

Commissioner of Corrections, Brigadier (Retired) Radgh Mason, is urging Caribbean countries to treat correctional services as a critical component of national security, arguing that effective rehabilitation and reintegration are essential to public safety and national development.

Addressing the 14th Annual Conference of the Association for Caribbean Heads of Correctional and Prison Services (ACHCPS), at the AC Hotel in St. Andrew, on September 7, Commissioner Mason said correctional institutions could no longer operate in isolation from the communities to which inmates would eventually return.

“Corrections can no longer afford to hide behind walls,” he said, noting that what happens to persons while in custody has direct implications for families, public safety, economic productivity and the stability of countries.

He said a correctional system focused solely on containment would only postpone social problems, while one that combines security and custody with education, treatment, rehabilitation and purposeful reintegration could strengthen national security at its foundation.

In Jamaica, he noted, the transformation of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is being advanced through increased budgetary allocations, a whole-of-government approach, education and training, modern equipment and technology, quality leadership, improved infrastructure and legislative harmonisation.

The Commissioner stressed that no single intervention would be sufficient to achieve sustainable reform.

Commissioner Mason said the urgency of these measures is reflected in the country’s correctional population. At the end of August, 3,803 persons were in custody, comprising 3,616 adults and 187 juveniles, while just over 2,600 persons were serving non-custodial sentences.

Of the adult population, 2,255 were convicted, 377 were awaiting trial and 670 were on remand.

He noted that the 1,047 persons awaiting trial or on remand represented almost one-third of the regular adult population, while 131, or 70 per cent, of the juveniles were on remand.

The Commissioner said these figures point to wider efficiency issues within the justice system, including access to legal representation, the timeliness of investigations and trials, and the availability of diversion and non-custodial measures.

He argued that overcrowding could not be addressed solely by constructing more prisons, but should also involve greater use of community service orders, probation and supervision, electronic monitoring, restorative justice, treatment programmes and other community-based sanctions.

He also highlighted the need for appropriate responses to vulnerable persons in custody, noting that the correctional population includes more than 300 mentally ill persons, 258 classified as unfit to plead and 45 detained at the court’s pleasure.

Turning to rehabilitation and reintegration, Commissioner Mason said education and vocational training must be central to the correctional strategy, given the socio-economic and educational challenges faced by many persons entering the system.

During 2025-2026, he said, 575 adults were admitted, of whom 286 were classified as unskilled, while 276 had a poor educational level and 28 were illiterate.

Commissioner Mason welcomed the decline in the reported readmission rate to 24 per cent, compared with approximately twice that figure five years earlier, but stressed that reintegration must begin from the first day of admission.

This, he said, should include literacy and numeracy, accreditation, vocational training, psychological and substance-abuse interventions, family engagement, identification documents, employment preparation, housing support, mentoring and structured post-release supervision.

The Commissioner also underscored the importance of professional development and regional cooperation, announcing that Jamaica is advancing the establishment of the Caribbean Corrections Academy to provide structured education, certification, research and continuous professionalisation across the correctional sector.

He said modern correctional services require officers with emotional intelligence, sound judgement and technical competence, supported by proper equipment, technology, training, employment benefits and clear career pathways.

He encouraged ACHCPS members to use the conference to develop practical solutions, harmonise policies and minimum standards, and strengthen their shared commitment to security, human dignity, accountability and rehabilitation.

“The future of corrections will not be determined by the strength of our walls. It will be determined by the strength of our policies, the quality of our people, the intelligence of our investments, and the depth of our regional partnerships,” he said.