A review has been announced for management, staff, and security issues at the Boys Training Centre (BTC) after police charged a 15-year-old ward at the facility with the murder last month of 78-year-old Marcellina Alexis.
The Cas en Bas resident had a stab wound to the neck.
“We have issues as it relates to staffing and management issues of the Boys Training Centre and some steps will be taken in addressing these things,” Minister of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment Joachim Henry told a news conference on Tuesday.
Henry said staff could expect management changes at the BTC.
“In the medium term, we will embark on a management audit,” the Minister told reporters.
“We will also be looking at the suitability of persons working there as well because some persons go through wear and tear. Some of them may be tired. Some of them may want to be placed elsewhere. So all of this will be taken into consideration with a view of creating a better environment for persons to work,” Henry stated.
In addition, he indicated that efforts would get underway to beef up security.
“We are hoping to intensify the security mesures that we have,” the Minister disclosed, adding that the intention would not be to ‘police’ the young wards but to ensure their safety and that of the surrounding community.
In response to whether BTC staff were at fault due to reports that the ward had escaped from the institution prior to the murder of Marcellina Alexis, Henry explained that there is an ongoing investigation regarding what transpired.
“So I cannot speak in terms of who is to be blamed,” he told Tuesday’s news conference.
If all of this was known and nothing was done about it, therefore it only confirms how disappointingly reactive a people we are. I am certain those very issues have existed for some time now but only being addressed as a consequence of this shameful incident. It seems this place is no more than a daycare centre for I cannot understand how an institution which proclaims rehabilitation is itself the vessel for breeding such violent kids !? Do like more developed countries by getting rid of the entire management team. This is an abject failure of responsibility by the institution albeit involving a teenager.
I am certain the director of BTC would have written to the Ministry about staffing and other issues at the facility. And as usual, his concerns and complaints may have fallen on deaf ears. But now that the shit has hit the fan, management of BTC is being pushed under the bus. Typical politicians and public officials in Lucia. When it all ends, I hope the Alexis family would have had the courage to file a hefty lawsuit against the government for the unfortunate loss of their loved one.
I can assure you that BTC has been no better than it is now over the years – a breeding ground for criminals. Ask many of the criminals now locked up at BCF who were once wards of BTC. Shame on the State for this level of incompetence!!!!
This whole incident is a cause for serious concern in several ways. The fact that this 15 year old male was able to get out of the BTC, commit a felony and return there with no staff observing any red flags is so alarming. According to his mom on the news, he confessed to the crime. This boy could have left BTC every day to go out and murder someone 3 days in a row without any staff member noticing him leaving. People in St Lucia need to take their job roles more seriously. If people are under-performing in their job roles, they need to be fired. It really is that simple.
Saint Lucia is full of hypocrites and ignoramuses who insist on blaming the Government for their own failings! The skyrocketing rates of murders, assaults, robberies, possession of illegal weapons, irresponsible sexual behaviours, bad parenting practices that incubate criminals from early in the home environment, recklessness and aggression on the roads, pervasive disrespect, etc., etc., etc. –all of which plague Fair Helen from one day to the other, all stem from depraved choices that individuals make every day! People need to take responsibility for their actions! 15-year olds who bring illegal guns to school or commit robberies, or 15-year olds who commit murders or other crimes against persons are reflections of a sick society in which people habitually fail to make right choices, and subsequently fail to live responsibly! The long-term impact includes all kinds of social ills such as segments of the society gradually turning into an incubator machinery for the shaping of criminals. It’s sad that some people merely see the tragic issues of the time as things for which to blame “Government”! As long as the issue of personal responsibility on the part of each and every citizen to make right choices is taken off the table, the nation will continue to roll in the mud, and the people will simply settle for scapegoating “Government” and agencies of Government!
There have been issues with BTC for a long time. A reminder that a ward died several years ago in a fire at the institution. The issues are known, but as usual, we are a reactive society and wait till the sky starts falling to seek shelter. All of the issues the Minister mentioned, are they new to him? Will they be fixed now? Probably not. We will go through this process again, the next time something happens over there, smh. We talk about a lack of resources but we seem to find resources for the things we deem important.
The BTC have had Problems for over Thirty Years now and no Improvements have been done