Juveniles within State correctional facilities will benefit from mentorship, skills training and job placement under a new youth empowerment and reintegration programme being undertaken by the Government. Dubbed the ‘WE TRANSFORM’ programme, the initiative will target 272 children, aged 12 to 17 years, who are on remand or serving a sentence within the four juvenile centres operated by the Department...

State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., says the pilot phase of the electronic tagging/monitoring programme for low-risk inmates is coming to an end. Addressing a meeting of the Rotary Club of St. Andrew North at the Institute of Chartered Accountants building, Ruthven Road, on June 19, the State Minister said the Ministry...

The St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre has benefitted from the donation of a hydroponic farming facility from the College of Agriculture, Science and Education, which will aid in the rehabilitation of inmates. Hydroponic is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water, without soil. The farming system was officially handed over by State Minister in the Ministry...

Regulatory agencies in Jamaica are to benefit from a five-day professional certificate course in International Regulatory Affairs and Reform that will improve their skills and competencies. The training is organised by the Private Security Regulation Authority (PSRA) and will be held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel from June 19 to 23. It will be conducted by the United Kingdom-based International...

The Jamaica Defence Force’s (JDF) training capabilities have been boosted with the establishment of its Directorate of Training and Doctrine. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, formally opened the facility located at the JDF headquarters at Up Park Camp, Kingston, on June 14. Developed with support from the Government of Canada’s Military Training and Cooperation Programme (MTCP), the facility,...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the police force will be making greater use of intelligence in addressing crime, moving away from the over-reliance on hard policing. As such, he said, increased focus will be placed on information gathering, data analysis and strategic planning, “to give them a more targeted approach to separate the criminals from the law-abiding...

The Ministry of National Security and the security forces are actively devising strategies to address the increase in the levels of crime affecting the island over the last few weeks. This was stated by Portfolio Minister, Hon. Robert Montague, in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 13). Mr. Montague said there has been an increase in police operations islandwide,...

Resident of Maverly in Kingston, Kathleen Thomas Douse, has high praises for the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) Parent Mentorship Programme. “I was not such a good parent, but being involved in the Parent Mentorship Programme has helped me a lot,” Mrs. Thomas Douse tells JIS News. Mrs. Thomas Douse, who is President of the Maverly Community parenting group, was...

Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., and officers from the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) recently participated in the West Virginia 2017 Mock Prison Riot, as part of the Government’s move to improve safety in the local facilities. The State Minister told JIS News that participation of the officers has equipped...