BOV Town Hall
July 26, 2021 0 Comment Arrayma Smith
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Orientation Session For Members of the Board of Visitors and the Parole Board

Very excited about this ! We will have the opportunity to announce our objectives and expectations that will aid the Board of Visitors to play a more active role in the lives of the most vulnerable.

nelson mandela pic 2
July 18, 2021 0 Comment Arrayma Smith
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Nelson Mandela International Day

On Nelson Mandela International Day we remember a titan who played a major role in overcoming evil forces and undoubtedly changed the world for the better. We reflect on his legacy. Nelson Mandela endured a great deal of adversity, not least of which, was a lengthy and inhumane imprisonment, in his struggle to achieve a state of peaceful and just coexistence for all people in his native South Africa.
That mission has always resonated with Jamaicans, which is why we hold the late President Mandela in the highest regard. This day of remembrance, however, is also meant to call attention to the plight of prisoners and correctional staff around the globe.
Throughout President Mandela’s imprisonment he remained a focal figure of the cause he championed. A mere four years after his release from prison he was elected President of a renewed South Africa. Thus, Mandela’s experience is a fitting reminder that those who our justice system has sentenced to a term of imprisonment are not quite removed from society, but rather remain a continuous part of our whole. Most of those in our custody within correctional facilities will rejoin society. Their treatment while in state custody is therefore of critical concern: it does not serve our society to provide anything less than dignified and rehabilitative care to these individuals.
At the end of 2015, the United Nation’s established their Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, otherwise called the Nelson Mandela Rules. These rules constitute a framework for managing correctional institutions in a just and humane manner, while recognizing both the dignity of individuals in the custody of the state and the value of correctional staff as a social service. Since 2016, the Mandela Rules have helped inform the approach Jamaica’s Ministry of National Security and Department of Correctional Services have taken in modernizing the administration of corrections.
The progress thus far has been admirable but insufficient! Bringing our correctional institutions up to standard necessitates greater support for & training of our correctional officers.
We endeavour to ensure additional improvements are made to the correctional services as we  at the Ministry of National Security strive to honour Nelson Mandela’s legacy and uphold principles of equity, fairness and justice.
JLP Anniversary 2021
July 8, 2021 0 Comment Arrayma Smith
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Happy 78th Anniversary to the Jamaica Labour Party !

On this day in the year 1948, Sir Alexander William Clarke Bustamente founded the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). Today as we celebrate our 78th year, we reflect on how far we’ve come as a country and as a people. I ask that we remain positive in these challenging times and be patient as we continue on our path to build back stronger and better. Here’s to more prosperity!
senate july 2
July 5, 2021 0 Comment Arrayma Smith
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Brief Presentation on the Extradition (Amendment ) Bill 2021

Last Friday, I presented the Extradition (Amendment) Bill 2021 in the Senate.
The rationale for the amendments to the Extradition Act came out of concerns expressed by the US State Department on the difficulty in acquiring the affidavits of victims, particularly in cases of lotto scamming and fraud, in extradition proceedings.
The amendments seek to clarify and amplify the law, and will not infringe the rights of any person being sought for extradition, whether to the United States or to any other country.
World Reggae Day
July 1, 2021 0 Comment Arrayma Smith
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Happy International Reggae Day !

Matthew CDC
June 29, 2021 0 Comment Arrayma Smith
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Centres of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Donates Medical Supplies to the Department of Correctional Services

Thank you to US Government, who through the Embassy, and the local teams from  CDC, & the INL for this generous donation of nebulising kits, automated external defibrillators and well needed PPEs valued at $4.5 million.  Though there are no active COVID-19 cases in the Department of Correctional Services, we continue to be vigilant and increase capacity for future cases of infections.

walkimng with dm
June 17, 2021 0 Comment Arrayma Smith
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Tour of the DCS Facilities, Denham Town Police Station and the Final Stop was at Darling Street Police Station

Earlier today I joined Minister of Local Government, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, CD, MP and representatives of the National Works Agency (NWA) and the KSAMC, to tour the Horizon Adult Remand Centre, Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Remand Centre, Denham Town Police Station and Darling Street Police Station.
We conducted preliminary assessment on the issues affecting surrounding infrastructure and reviewed the recent development project at each of the facilities.
This invitation from Minister McKenzie was welcomed and will lead to us providing the necessary improvements to the security infrastructure in the West Kingston Constituency both to JCF and DCS facilities.
world bloood donor day 2021
June 14, 2021 0 Comment Arrayma Smith
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World Blood Donor Day 2021

Happy World Blood Donor Day 2021! Under the theme “Give Blood and Keep the World Beating” we encourage everyone to be considerate and play their small part in saving lives. Be proactive and consider donating small quantities every 4-6 months. I can’t go today but will definitely go in the next couple of days to make my donation.
antigang
June 12, 2021 0 Comment Arrayma Smith
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Anti-Gang Bill Closer to Becoming Law

The Anti-Gang Bill is one step closer to becoming law, with Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Senator Matthew Samuda leading the debate on the amendments in the Senate today.

In a statement today, the ministry said the amended Bill, entitled The Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) (Amendment) Act, 2021, will sufficiently supplement the Anti-Gang Act, while including appropriate safeguards to bring to its full potential as a legal tool that the justice system can employ in the fight against organised crime.

Samuda said that the specific amendments are designed to address the weaknesses of the principle legislation that led to its underutilisation in the courts.

He told the Senate that the principal legislation is being amended to reflect the recommendations of the Joint Select Committee (JSC), which was established to review amendments to the Bill.

The minister noted that the ministry also considered subsequent court judgments related to the 2014 Act, as well as further consultation with key stakeholders.

“Among the most important considerations throughout this process Mr President, is how seldom the principal legislation has been applied in the courts between the time it came into effect and the period of JSC review,” Samuda said.

He added: “Before the JSC commenced, the courts only handed down two convictions based on the Anti-Gang Act, as a result of guilty pleas. (The Uchence Wilson trial coincided with JSC and several people were convicted on offences under the Act). Consequently, the potential of the legislation to undermine organised crime in Jamaica has not been fully realized,” he added.

the Anti-Gang legislation has the potential to be as impactful in the Jamaican context as the comparable United States Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisation Act.

Samuda told the Senate that Jamaica remains inordinately plagued by the activities of organised criminal gangs and cited statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) noting that there are 379 gangs present in Jamaica, of which 262 are considered active.

He also said for the year 2020, the JCF has assessed that 802 or 61 per cent of murders were gang related.

“Mr President, the Government has been successful in disrupting and halting the activities of criminal gangs in some hotspots through the application of ZOSOs and SOEs. Over the four years prior to the Mount Salem ZOSO, for example, that community recorded 19 murders and 33 shootings, the majority of which were gang related. In the four years since the ZOSO began, there were five murders and five shootings—a fall of 74 per cent and 85 per cent respectively,” Samuda said.

According to the ministry, overall, category one offences such as murder, shooting, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, break-ins, larceny, were reduced by 71 per cent in Mount Salem.

”Over the periods of ZOSOs, Category One crimes in Denham Town, Greenwhich Town, and August Town declined 41 per cent, 27 per cent and 95 per cent respectively over comparable periods,” the ministry said.

“As you can see, Mr President, the ZOSO and SOE measures have been effective in curtailing the activities of organised criminal groups where they have been applied so far. However, it is this legislation that will enable the justice system to play its critical part in winding up existing gangs and preventing new ones from forming,” Samuda noted.

World environment day pic
June 5, 2021 0 Comment Arrayma Smith
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Happy World Environment Day !

WorldEnvironmentDay serves to remind us about our duty of care to 🇯🇲‘s ecosystem, & to play our part in confronting the ravages of #ClimateChange. We all should be Environmentalists.

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