Transforming Lives Through Learning
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is committed to rehabilitating inmates and wards by providing access to quality education at all levels. Our educational programmes are designed to promote literacy, academic achievement, and skills development, thereby improving employability and supporting successful reintegration into society.
Juvenile Offender Clients
Juveniles are engaged by trained teachers under the guidance of the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) in core areas such as:
Mathematics
Language Arts
Civics/Social Studies
Adult Offender Clients
Adults receive instruction from trained educators and Correctional Officers using the High School Diploma Equivalency (HSDE) curriculum, aimed at addressing literacy and numeracy gaps and preparing them for further academic or vocational training.
Offender clients with foundational skills are engaged using the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) curricula.
Subjects offered include:
Electronic Document Preparation & Management (EDPM)
English Language
Mathematics
Human and Social Biology (HSB)
Principles of Business & Accounts
Office Administration
Home and Family Life Management
Food and Nutrition
Social Studies
History
Physical Education, and more.
Associate Degree Programme
In partnership with the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) and Stand Up for Jamaica, inmates who have successfully earned CSEC and/or CAPE qualifications may pursue an Associate Degree in Business within correctional institutions.
From Prison to College
This initiative, delivered in collaboration with lecturers from The University of the West Indies (UWI), enables inmates to earn university credits while incarcerated, and matriculate to UWI upon release.
Highlight: In 2024, one inmate—who had never attended school prior to incarceration—progressed from the remedial literacy and numeracy programme to earning two CSEC subjects with Grade II passes.
In December 2024, the DCS celebrated a historic milestone: the first cohort of inmates completed a Bachelor’s Degree programme while incarcerated. This was made possible through structured progression from:
Remedial education, to
CSEC and CAPE qualifications, to
An Associate Degree, and finally
Bachelor’s Degree completion.
This layered approach to correctional education underscores the transformative power of learning and the DCS’s dedication to providing second chances through education.
