Jamaican Prisoners Earn Associate Degrees in Business Administration from UCC
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Two prisoners at Jamaica’s Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston are now holders of Associate of Science degrees in Business Administration from the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC).
The men are scholarship recipients and earned their degrees through a memorandum of understanding that was signed by the UCC, the Ministry of National Security, and Stand Up for Jamaica. In addition to the inmates, a correctional officer also earned his degree through the 2020 memorandum.
According to Nationwide News, the UCC’s programme is a two-year course of study, and beneficiaries are provided with full-tuition scholarships valued at more than $600,000. Speaking on the prisoner’s recent achievement, Executive Director of Stand Up for Jamaica, Carla Gullotta, described it as revolutionary.
“It is kind of revolutionary because nobody has been allowing inmates to study at university levels before. From my side, it is a confirmation that rehabilitation is a key instrument because our students are doing very well,” Gullata stated.
Gullata also highlighted the difficulties of studying in a correctional facility.
“They pass their exams while studying in an environment which is not conducive because it is difficult to study in a prison. Stand Up has been investing some serious funds to make sure that there are computer labs, books, and everything to support the classes. But what is amazing is the commitment of the students.”
Gullata expressed that rehabilitation works and went on to urge civil society to take note and give the inmates a second chance. The executive director highlighted that the men are “extremely qualified” but noted that the stigma surrounding ex-convicts remains a serious obstacle after they leave prison.
Dean of the School of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Management at UCC, Sonia Davidson, reiterated Gullata’s sentiments and expressed that the men are all hardworking and qualified. She also shared that before acquiring their degrees through the programme, all potential candidates need a minimum of five CSEC subjects, inclusive of mathematics and English.
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