Eighty-seven recruits have now joined the ranks of Jamaica’s correctional service, following the Passing Out Parade for the 87th Intake of Correctional Officers held at the United Pentecostal Church of Jamaica (UPCJ) Camp Site in Moneague, St. Ann, on Friday, November 28, 2025.

The 87th Intake began training on June 9, 2025, at Camp Don in St. Mary with 94 recruits (28 females, 66 males), as the 86^th Intake completed their training at the Carl Rattray Staff College. A total of 87 recruits, 27 females and 60 males, successfully completed the 22-week training programme.

The three-phase programme exposed recruits to correctional operations, discipline, and professional standards:

• Phase One: Foundational training at Camp Don, focused on physical fitness, drill, deportment, correctional legislation, ethics, report writing, and institutional protocols.
• Phase Two: A six-week institutional attachment at the South Camp, St. Catherine, and Tower Street Adult Correctional Centres, where recruits gained hands-on experience in inmate supervision, security routines, searches, meal services, and emergency drills.
• Phase Three: Intended for advanced instruction, scenario-based training, and final assessments was disrupted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa which cause extensive damage to the Carl Rattray Staff College in Runaway Bay, St. Ann, rendering serval buildings unsafe and interrupting critical utilities such as electricity and water. A continuity plan was implemented, and training was conducted at the UPCJ Camp Site.

The recruits successfully completed all mandatory modules and competency requirements in operational, legal, interpersonal, and safety-related areas.

Delivering remarks at the Passing Out Parade, His Honour Mr. Chester Crooks, Chief Judge of the Parish Courts, congratulated the graduates for their resilience, professionalism, and commitment to national service.

He highlighted the critical role correctional officers play in supporting the administration of justice, noting that “correctional work is not merely a job, but a calling requiring courage, discipline, and humanity.”

Mr. Crooks shared a powerful reminder about integrity, recounting a story from a correctional facility where an officer was offered money by an inmate to allow a prohibited item inside, with the promise of easing the officer’s financial struggles. The officer refused, remembering his oath and the trust placed in him. During a later search, the inmate was found with the prohibited article, and the officer’s integrity prevented a situation that could have escalated into violence and disorder.

When asked why he refused the bribe, the officer answered: “Because the key I hold is not just for a cell. It is for justice.”

He urged graduates to let the acronym IMPACT—Integrity, Mental Spirit, Professionalism, Accountability, Compassion, and Teamwork—guide their conduct as they assume their duties.

Meanwhile, 12 recruits received awards for outstanding performance in key areas such as discipline, first aid, military drill, moral and ethical principles, and academics.

Tajay Williams was named Top All-Round Recruit, also earning the Leadership Award, while Monique Mason was recognised as the Runner-Up Top Recruit.

The Department of Correctional Services extends warm congratulations to the graduates of Intake 87 and welcomes them into the ranks of Jamaica’s correctional service.