The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) officially opened its new Recruitment and Training Centre on Friday, June 20, 2025, at 153-155 East Street, Kingston. This significant milestone highlights the Department’s ongoing commitment to strengthening its human resource capacity while addressing longstanding challenges in recruitment, training, and staff retention.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Honourable Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, says the Centre is a vital investment in the people who have chosen the demanding but essential task of restoring order, dignity and opportunity where society often looks away.
“The DCS has long been called upon to do more with less. But times are changing. This Centre is now positioned to act as a central hub, not just for recruitment, but for cultivating the kind of correctional professionals who will be well-prepared to navigate the complexities of modern corrections. Structured training modules on human rights, rehabilitation, conflict resolution and mental wellness will ensure that recruits and serving officers alike are empowered to respond not only with authority, but also with empathy and insight.”
She further emphasised that professionalising the correctional workforce is not optional—it is a strategic imperative. “It’s about raising standards and positioning corrections as a respected and valuable career path,” she added.
Commissioner of Corrections, Brigadier (Ret’d) Radgh Mason, welcomed the opening as a pivotal step toward the DCS’ long-term goal of establishing the Caribbean’s first Correctional Academy.
“Through a rigorous, transparent, and merit-based recruitment process, we aim to identify individuals who are not only qualified but also driven by purpose and a commitment to public service,” he noted. “This Centre will deliver first-class, standardised training across all technical areas of the Department. We are not simply training for compliance — we are nurturing a culture of excellence grounded in the NCTVET system of competence,” he said.
The new Centre will modernise the DCS’ recruitment process—streamlining outreach, selection, assessment, and onboarding—while strengthening vetting and aligning hiring practices with the core values and professional standards of modern corrections.
The opening of the Centre forms part of the Department’s 50th anniversary celebrations, being observed under the theme: “Excellence in Securing, Rehabilitating, and Reintegrating Lives for a Safer Jamaica.”