DCS-PIOJ Symposium Partnership to Reinforce Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Ex-Offenders

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) says its partnership with the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) at the upcoming Best Practice Symposium will reinforce its commitment to providing ex‑offenders with the tools necessary for rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society.

Speaking during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’, Principal Probation Aftercare Officer at the DCS, Kerryann Davis, noted that the symposium discussions will serve to advance the national dialogue on rehabilitating ex‑offenders.

“We are delighted to partner with PIOJ in their 10th Best Practice Symposium, and DCS is happy to be part of this conversation. On day two (January 28), our Commissioner of Corrections, Brigadier (Ret’d) Radgh Mason, will also be presenting,” she said.

The symposium, scheduled for January 27 and 28 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, will feature testimonies from ex‑offenders and involuntarily returned migrants, who will share their experiences of reintegration into Jamaican society, adding a powerful human dimension to the event.

“This partnership will ensure that our offender clients get the tools they need, and that their families are also prepared to receive them when reintegration begins. We work with churches, schools and community clubs, and our Probation Aftercare Officers help these individuals to resettle,” Mrs. Davis said.

She noted that the overarching goal is to reintegrate offenders into society as law‑abiding and productive citizens.

“On the day of the Expo, we will showcase items made by our offender clients, including furniture. People will see that this (DCS) administration is determined to ensure that everyone leaving our care has a skill or a qualification, even up to the master’s degree level,” she said.

Mrs. Davis emphasised that the focus extends beyond job placement to fostering entrepreneurship among ex‑offenders.

“When they leave our care, they don’t… have to find a job… they are the job. They come out with skills and certification and can start their own businesses, and we know small businesses drive the economy,” she stated.

Mrs. Davis affirmed that the DCS fully supports the PIOJ initiative, noting, “anything that makes the lives of our clients better, we are on board”.

“We want Jamaica to come out and see the work being done behind bars, because these persons are coming back to us,” she added.

Mrs. Davis further highlighted recent education partnerships that the DCS has established.

“Through a partnership with the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC), several of our offender clients have completed bachelor’s degrees. Our aim is to ensure that when they leave our facilities, they go back out better than they came in,” she said.

Mrs. Davis shared a testimony underscoring the transformative impact of rehabilitation, recalling a man who said, “Prison saved my life”.

She noted that he entered without completing school but left with multiple certifications in skilled areas, underscoring the Department’s continued commitment to its rehabilitation mandate.

Mrs. Davis added that the Department remains steadfast in its mandate, stating, “we are responsible for rehabilitating persons who come into contact with the law in a negative way, and our duty is to ensure they are empowered through skills training to live productive, law‑abiding lives”.

The 10th Best Practice Symposium for Social and Community Development will highlight best practices addressing the critical issue of reintegration for involuntarily returned migrants (IRMs) and individuals formerly in conflict with the law.