While officials of the correctional services, juveniles from the Armadale facility, and their family members have welcomed the switch to the former Diamond Crest Villa, not everyone is happy with the move.

Some residents of Alligator Pond, Manchester, are upset that the Government has decided to transfer the girls to their community.

The residents claim they were told by representatives of the Ministry of Education, during a meeting two weeks ago, that the former Diamond Crest Villa would be used to house problem students from the school system.

"They give us the impression that is troubled children that were hindering other children from learning in school that would be coming here. They never tell us that they were going to be turning the place into a prison, with females who break the law living among us," one resident told The Gleaner.

"Most people in Alligator Pond right now feel uncomfortable with the whole deal, because they are concerned what might happen to their community," the resident said.

Most of the wards who were housed at Armadale were sent to Diamond Crest by the courts because of their behavioural problems. Some of the girls from the remand facility have had their share of problems and brushes with the law.

In April last year, 11 girls escaped from the home, citing poor living conditions and overcrowding as the reasons. In February, several inmates were transferred to the Fort Augusta prison in St Catherine due to security reasons. While there, they got involved in a week-long scrap with officials, resulting in a correctional officer being stabbed. The Armadale girls were also accused of dousing staff with faeces and urine.

Juvenile prisoners

"We have a quiet farming community here and we don't want these juvenile prisoners coming to disrupt the area. We see police with guns and them things over there, and we not used to that in Alligator Pond," another resident claimed.

The residents also said they were told that the facility would serve as an economic benefit to their community, as some persons would be able to gain employment at the centre.

"So far, nobody from the community get a job there. No security work, nobody in the kitchen and not even groundsman. They bring in policing from Kingston, so nobody from Manchester benefiting from this," the resident added.

However, permanent secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Major Richard Reese, said there was no need for the residents to be concerned about their safety.

"I have never been aware of any threat posed to any community where juvenile centres have been located," he said. "A juvenile correctional centre is a secured residential facility for children with the necessary therapeutic educational services. It is no different from what the residents had been expecting."

He said the only difference would be that the children currently at Diamond Crest had been before the courts and the others had not. However, essentially, they were children with the same challenges.

The permanent secretary further argued that the property was a secured facility, in terms of internal security, and protection, in terms of external threats.

Reese also said that, though he was not aware of any promises made to the residents regarding jobs, the facility would nonetheless have a positive effect on the local economy, as the centre would make most of its purchases from individuals in the area.

"The department always seeks to engage the community in whatever form," he assured.

Reese added that he would be passing on the residents' concerns to the acting commissioner and would be seeking to engage the community in order to resolve any concerns they might have.

"We also must bear in mind that this was an emergency decision that was taken, which did not afford consultation with the residents," he said.

Challenges

The Ministry of Education is in the process of acquiring the property as part of its behaviour-modification programme for children who pose challenges in schools.

According to Minister of Education Andrew Holness, the agreement is that the girls would be housed at the facility for a period of three months. After this, it will be used to accommodate students who are part of the ministry's Programme for Alternate Student Support.

Reese further said the Ministry of National Security was currently conducting an active search to identify a permanent facility for the girls. He said there was need for a larger, long-term female juvenile remand centre as there were still girls being housed at the adult female prison, Fort Augusta, who needed to be relocated.

athaliah.reynolds@gleaner.com

Inmates at the Diamond Crest Villa listen attentively to their instructor during a mathematics lesson. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer