18B Replacement Facility for Tower Street Adult Correctional Center Coming

Dr. Horace Chang, the Minister of National Security and Deputy Prime Minister, revealed that lands were identified for the construction of a new state-of-the-art correctional facility that will replace the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston.

Tower Street is to be replaced. They plan to build a new prison that will cost at least $8 billion. The relocation of the facility, happened because it is in need of “major reworking”. The Minister said.

The information was made public at the orientation session for members of the Board of Visitors and Parole Board which was held at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Wednesday, July 28, in downtown Kingston.

Tower Street was not built to be a prison; it was a slave trade post. The British Colonial Government commissioned the facility into a prison in 1845.

Minister Chang noted that while the discussions had just began regarding construction, the new modern facility “will be a modern prison that will be secure and meet the standards that are required for occupancy in every way. He thanked the people in charge of the rehabilitation of inmates for making themselves available to serve, as their service is critical in ensuring there is a responsive correctional process and a relevant rehabilitation mechanism.

He said the Department of Correctional Services is needed for the rehabilitation mechanism (DCS) and it is an important component of Jamaica’s national security architecture. It helps to keep Jamaica safe.