The Caribbean Regional Drug Law Enforcement Training Centre (REDTRAC) is celebrating 25 years of operation. REDTRAC is a division of the Ministry of National Security (MNS), and is a post-secondary, special-focus training institution and a regional training hub established to strengthen regional law-enforcement capabilities. Its aim is to develop and deliver training courses to meet the needs of law-enforcement, drug-control,...

The measures implemented by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to crack down on illegal contraband entering its facilities are yielding positive results. Speaking in the Senate recently during the State of the Nation Debate, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, informed that 2,300 cellphones were seized in correctional facilities over the...

The Ministry of National Security is finalising preparations to undertake an assessment of correctional institutions islandwide, to facilitate timely budgetary allocations. Minister without Portfolio, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the procurement process to identify an engineering firm to conduct a full assessment of the facilities is being concluded. The Minister was speaking during the Crime Consensus Monitoring and Oversight...

Cabinet has approved the drafting instructions for legislative amendments to various sections of the Corrections Act, 1985 and the Correctional Institutional (Adult Correctional Centre) Rule, 1991. These will address the specific issue of prohibited items in Jamaica’s correctional institutions that allow for unauthorised communication outside the facility. This was stated by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security,...

Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wayne Henry, says that young people must be included in any solutions aimed at addressing youth crime and violence. Dr. Henry, who was addressing the virtual United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Youth Summit on crime and violence recently, noted that there was a time when initiatives were planned with minimal...

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has been authorised to hire an additional consultant forensic psychiatrist who will design and oversee a Forensic Mental Healthcare Programme. This was stated by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Senator Hon. Matthew Samuda during his contribution to the 2021/22 State of the Nation Debate in the Upper House on Friday...

The Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says the Government has implemented social investments to target youth within the 15 to 24 age group. He noted that data from the last 10 years indicate that, increasingly, the victims and perpetrators of category-one crimes, such as homicides, are from this age group. “Research confirms that an average of 40...