Prior to April 25, 1975, the roles and functions of the Department of Correctional Services were under three entities: Jamaica Prison Services, Probation Services and Approved Schools. The Prison Services is the oldest of the three, with its genesis being a response to the growing crime problem post Emancipation. Earlier prisons, such as the then St. Catherine District Prison were holding areas for slaves and, therefore, proved to be “readymade” penal institutions, following the abolition of slavery because they were designed to prevent escape.

Approved Schools were established out of the recognition that children had to be treated in separate environments from their adult counterparts. These institutions were operated largely by the Salvation Army and other Friendly Societies to provide skills training and life skills to help with the children’s rehabilitation.

The Probation Services in Jamaica also had its beginning with the Salvation Army. Before 1946 there was no proper probation system despite the Probation of Offenders Law being in operation from 1909.

Offenders, who were sentenced under that Law, were placed under the care of Salvation Army Officers. However, by the early 1940s the Government of Jamaica concluded that a “proper” system was needed.

In 1944 Mr. Odel Fleming was sent to England to receive formal training in Probation Services and in October, 1946 Mr. E. John Montgomery, an experienced Probation Officer in England, was engaged by the Government as the Chief Probation Officer with the mandate to set up the service and train officers. He was joined in January, 1947 by Mr. Fleming who assumed duties as Senior Probation Officer. After four years’ tour of service, Mr. Montgomery returned home to England, leaving the expansion of the Probation Services to the locals.

Amalgamation was more than a name change

Before amalgamation, the Jamaica Prison Services had eight prisons under its management. These were General Penitentiary, St. Catherine District Prison, Tamarind Farm Prison, Richmond Farm Prison, Fort Augusta Prison, Hill Top Prison – which then operated as a young prison for males between 18 and 21 years old – Gun Court Prison (South Camp Rehabilitation Centre), which was established a year before amalgamation (1974) and the Female Prison. The latter prison was first located in Manchioneal, Portland, but was relocated in 1845 to a newly built 100-women cell block at the General Penitentiary.

There were several Approved Schools across the island, many of which had between 10 and 15 wards. As a result, only the four Approved Schools that later formed part of the Department of Correctional Services will be mentioned in this article. These were: the Rio Cobre Approved School, Stony Hill Approved School, Armadale Approved School and Lower Esher Approved School.

On the other hand, the Probation Services managed cases island-wide through four offices located in Kingston, Spanish Town, Montego Bay and Port Maria. The island was also regionalized into the Northern Circuit (Trelawny, St. James, Hanover, and Westmoreland),

Eastern Circuit (St. Thomas, Portland, St. Mary and St. Ann), Western Circuit (St. Catherine, Clarendon, St. Elizabeth and Manchester) with the main office serving Kingston and St. Andrew. In 1950 each circuit had one Probation Officer, while the main office had two. However, by the end of 1972 each circuit had an average of 11 Probation Officers per region.

The operations of the three entities had separate costs and, in many instances, each was duplicating services offered by the others. The conclusion then was that a merger would address this situation. That is when the Jamaica Prison Services, Probation Services and Approved Schools became one entity – the Department of Correctional Services.

Mining of quarries discontinued

The idea of amalgamation was not welcomed by many staff because of uncertainties that come with such action. However, their fears quickly dissipated as it proved beneficial to staff and offenders alike. In keeping with the departure from the punitive approach to rehabilitation, the Government abandoned quarry mining by inmates. The mining of aggregates was previously done by inmates from General Penitentiary and St. Catherine District Prison at the Rockfort Quarry and St. Catherine Quarry – where the Quarry Hill community now sits.

The impetus to introduce rehabilitation programmes to offenders required improvement in the staff’s education and training. This brought with it improved salary packages and the structural changes in the organization also provided additional administrative positions, thereby increasing the prospect of promotion.