National Security Ministry Takes Youth and Parent Lynk-Up to Rio Cobre Juvenile Facility
By: , February 19, 2025
Photo: Dave Reid
Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn (second right), listens to a point from Commissioner of Corrections, Brigadier (retired) Radgh Mason (right), during Tuesday’s (February 18) staging of the We Transform ‘Youth and Parent Lynk-Up Reintegration Day’ at the Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. Also sharing in the discussion are Acting Superintendent of the facility, Carol Johnson (third left), and representative of Tax Administration of Jamaica (TAJ), Amaila McHargh (third left). At left, TAJ Representative, Jenelle Buchanan, assists a parent.
Photo: Dave Reid
Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn (centre), engages with young people at the St. Catherine-based Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre, during the staging of the We Transform ‘Youth and Parent Lynk-Up Reintegration Day’, held at the facility on Tuesday (February 18).
Photo: Dave Reid
Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn (left), along with Commissioner of Corrections, Brigadier (retired) Radgh Mason (centre), and Chief Technical Director at the Ministry, Shauna Trowers (right), tour the Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre. Occasion was Tuesday’s (February 18), staging of the We Transform ‘Youth and Parent Lynk-Up Reintegration Day’ held at the facility in Spanish Town, St. Catherine.The Full Story
Scores of wards at the Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre and their parents benefited from motivational talks and access to a range of services, under the Ministry of National Security’s ‘Youth and Parent Lynk-Up Reintegration Day’ initiative.
At an event held on Tuesday (February 18) at the juvenile facility in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, the youngsters were given the opportunity to obtain a bank account, birth certificate, Taxpayer Registration Number (TRN), passport, national identification, among other services.
Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, who participated in the day’s activities, noted the importance of the rehabilitation process in reforming and reintegrating offenders.
“We have to make sure that our youngsters are equipped with the necessary things to get them out there in life, to get them ready. When you talk about having a bank account, it is of great necessity”, she said.
She told the youngsters that having a TRN is critical in enabling them to access social services.
Commissioner of Corrections, Brigadier (retired) Radgh Mason, said the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is committed to ensuring that wards are properly prepared for their reintegration into society, with their families and in the regular school system.
“We will be doing much more of these activities. The banking, all those social services are critically important. Some of these young students, they will leave to go into the HEART programme and so, the important takeaway from this is a [united approach], he said.
An initiative under the Ministry’s We Transform Youth Empowerment Programme, in collaboration with the DCS, the Reintegration Day aims to help young people transition back into society after being in correctional care.
This is by helping them to get the documents they need and access to requisite social services.
The initiative also seeks to strengthen the sense of identity and belief in their purpose and future and improve parent-child relationships through parenting seminars.
Wards who are scheduled to be released also have the opportunity to register for programmes offered by HEART/NSTA Trust.