New DCS Recruitment and Training Centre a Game Changer – Commissioner Mason
By: , June 23, 2025
Photo: Dave Reid
State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert Flynn (right), listens to a comment from Commissioner of Corrections, Brigadier (Ret’d) Radgh Mason (second right), during a tour of the newly established DCS Recruitment and Training Centre on Friday (June 20), located on East Street in downtown Kingston. Others (from left) are Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Ambassador Alison Stone Roofe (left), and Senior Director, Human Resource Management and Administration, Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Althea Davis.The Full Story
Commissioner of Corrections, Brigadier (Ret’d) Radgh Mason, has hailed the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) Recruitment and Training Centre as a “game-changing addition to our infrastructure” that will reshape the future of Jamaica’s correctional system.
“This Centre is a legacy project, and its impact will resonate across the Department and the nation for years to come,” he said.
Commissioner Mason was speaking at the official opening ceremony for the newly established facility on Friday (June 20), at its 153-155 East Street location in downtown Kingston.
He noted that the Centre is designed to strengthen the institutional capacity of the DCS and ensure that “we attract, prepare, and retain the best talent to serve the people of Jamaica with excellence”.
He said it will modernise recruitment and training and enable the implementation of a rigorous, merit-based system for identifying high-calibre candidates with a strong sense of discipline, resilience, and public service.
“This new Recruitment and Training Centre will streamline and modernise our recruitment pipeline from outreach and selection to assessment and onboarding,” he said, noting that it will deliver standardised training programmes across all technical and administrative areas of corrections, including probation, rehabilitation, and psychological services.
The curriculum will be supported by National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET)-recognised professional standards.
“We are not merely training for the sake of compliance; we are building a culture of excellence,” said Commissioner Mason.
“We are setting new benchmarks in correctional education, training, and professional development,” he emphasised.
The DCS Commissioner further announced the Department’s ambition to establish the Caribbean’s first-ever Correctional Academy, positioning Jamaica as a regional leader in correctional service reform.
Commissioner Mason underscored the importance of academic and institutional partnerships in supporting the Centre’s long-term goals.
“I extend sincere gratitude to our colleagues in academia, the national training agencies, our international partners, and sister institutions across the justice sector. Your support has been, and will continue to be, essential in delivering high-quality programmes,” he said.