Correctional officer charged after allegedly instructing ward to slap child at juvenile centre

A correctional officer accused of instructing a ward to slap a child has been charged in connection with the February incident at the Metcalfe Street Juvenile Centre.

Ricketts is charged with causing a child to be assaulted, an offence under the Child Care and Protection Act.

It followed an investigation by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) and a ruling by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The incident happened on February 12, INDECOM said in a statement on Wednesday.

Ricketts is an employee of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS).

It is alleged that he instructed another ward to slap the child in the face. The slap reportedly caused the child's eardrum to rupture.

The correctional officer appeared before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday.

He was bound over and is scheduled to return to court on October 13, 2025.

Ricketts is the first member of the DCS to be charged by the oversight body since January.

Since the start of the year, INDECOM has reported that it has charged six members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), while no member of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has been charged.

Meanwhile, for last year, 24 JCF members and one JDF member were charged; and for 2023, six members of the JCF, and three DCS members were charged. No member of the JDF was charged during that year.

-Corey Robinson

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