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The Department of
Correctional Services (DCS) Brief Overview |
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Correctional Services in Jamaica is a department under the
Ministry of National Security. Other
major arms of the Ministry are the Police Force and the Jamaica Defence
Force. The Judicial System falls under
the Ministry of Justice. The
Commissioner of Corrections is the chief executive officer who administers
the Correctional programmes on behalf of the Government of Jamaica and
reports to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Security. During the
post-independence years the prison system in Jamaica was composed of three
(3) main entities: the Prisons, the Probation Services and the Approved
Schools which functioned separately in the implementation and execution of
the correctional functions of the Government.
This distinction of roles in the administrative process created an
inefficient system plagued with inconsistencies and duplication. To rectify this problem, in 1975 an
administrative directive ordered that the three bodies be joined to form one
department. This union led to the
formation of the Department of Correctional Services, one of the main facets
of the Ministry of National Security and Justice. Prior to the merger in 1975, the conceptual
function of the prison system was that of punishment. However, the merger forged new directions
for the Correctional Services as opportunities were opened for rehabilitation
and care. In keeping with this new
philosophy on offender management, in 1978 the Criminal Justice Reform Act
was passed in Parliament and introduced new alternatives to incarceration
(non-custodial sentences). In addition
to Probation Order, non-custodial options are: ·
Community Service Order (CSO) – an order to complete at least 40
hours (now being revised) of unpaid work within the community ·
Suspended Sentence Supervision Order – an option where the Court
defers the sentence and the offender is given a chance to prove himself in
the community. ·
Voluntary Supervision – recommended by the court when the
offender is deemed to be in need of counselling or treatment outside of the
formal sentencing system ·
Probation Order – allows the offender a form of community based
rehabilitation In addition to these non-custodial options, the Department also
introduced other rehabilitative mechanisms to assist in the successful
re-integration of the individual into society. These include the After-care Programme,
Licence, Hostel Placement and Statutory Supervision and Parole (Act passed
1978). The Department of Correctional Services is comprised of seven
(7) Adult Correctional Centres, one (1) Adult Remand Centre, four (4)
Juvenile Centres, and seventeen (17) Community Service Offices (Probation
Offices) located island wide all under the directorship of the Department’s
chief executive officer, the Commissioner of Corrections. In the year 2000, the
Department celebrated its 25th anniversary and the Probation
Offices celebrated their 50th anniversary. The anniversary was not only a period of
celebration culminating in ‘Corrections Week’, but it was also a period of
reorganization when the philosophical and conceptual functions of the
Department were revisited and restructured to reflect a 21st
century approach to the correctional process.
This paradigm shift is reflected in newly outlined Mission and Vision
Statements and Correctional Process which solidified the focus and function
of the Department towards the idea of a National Rehabilitation Strategy which
would concentrate on the empowerment of its clients (inmates/wards). Today, the Department has three (3) core functional areas:
These three core areas seek to provide facilities for admission,
incarceration and welfare of inmates and wards; to administer the probation,
parole and hostel services operating in the community and to provide the
necessary reports that will assist the Courts to make informed decisions in
selected cases; to implement rehabilitation programmes for inmates, offenders
and wards including educational programmes, individual group counselling,
spiritual/religious instruction and other treatment programmes; and to
develop, implement and evaluate procedures to ensure fiscal responsibility. As the Department forges into the post-twentieth century it will
continue to develop and implement strategies towards a modern correctional
process. We are establishing special
rehabilitation projects, computerizing data sources and reviewing needed
health personnel and policies. The
Department of Correctional Services is determined to move strategically into
enhanced client supervision and public safety, thus enabling the successful
achievement of its vision of a “therapeutic environment” for its clients and
a “more peaceful, caring and productive society”. |
