Metcalfe juvenile centre still not ready

The Government's plan to remove youths from police lock-ups and other adult facilities seems set for an extended delay as the proposed April 1 deadline has been missed and there is no indication when the new Metcalfe Street Juvenile Remand Centre will be ready.

Last week, minister with responsibility for information, Daryl Vaz, told journalists at the weekly post- Cabinet press briefing that the new facility should be operational before the end of the week but yesterday a media tour of the facility revealed that it was far from ready with all rooms devoid of furnishings and fixtures.

Although at an advanced stage, the facility, which is being upgraded and retrofitted by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), has now missed its third deadline.

Acting Commissioner of Corrections, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Prendergast, said that at this stage he could not give a specific date on which the facility would be ready to receive the juveniles. He stressed, however, that it would be sometime this year.

"There is a lot of work done, but there is a lot more to be done," said Prendergast, adding that most of the items needed were identified.

third missed deadline

The JDF started work on the centre last year April and initially, the Government had said it would be operational before December 2010, but that was shifted to February 2011, and then again moved to April 1.

Lieutenant Colonel David Cummings, of the JDF Engineering Regiment, said the Tivoli Gardens incursion last May caused a temporary setback. However, he said the delay has not resulted in a cost overrun, as the project was still on its $168-million budget. It is being funded by the Government through the Ministry of National Security.

The Metcalfe Street Juvenile Remand Centre has the capacity to house 208 male juveniles aged 13-17 years, who will be manned by 347 uniformed and civilian staff on a 24-hour shift system.

It has three four-storey dormitories with fire escapes, each dorm to accommodate eight boys. There are four classrooms, which can accommodate 20 students each, a multi-purpose room, library, resource centre, computer room, kitchen, laundry room, a medical complex, a multi-purpose recreational court, a designated farming area, and greenhouse.

There is a 60,000-gallon water tank with four pumps and a standby generator. There are security cameras strategically placed around the facility as well as four sentry posts.

psychological support

There will also be extensive rehabilitation programmes for the juveniles that will include an educational curriculum up to CXC level, behaviour modification, life skills, intersocial interactive skills to help them to reintegrate into society, as well as psychological support.

National Security Minister Dwight Nelson said the facility was at a "remarkable stage of development and moving juveniles from police lock-ups will be a step up and will really enhance their development. As you can see, this is a multi-purpose facility that isn't just for incarcerating the juveniles, but it is a facility that will cater to their educational, recreational, medical well-being. It is also a facility that caters to the well- being of the staff, both uniformed and civilian, and this is important in terms of how staff react and respond to the juveniles."

He added that there are talks for other such juvenile remand facilities in other parts of Jamaica, especially for juvenile females who also need to have designated accommodation.