The plan to transform the former George Charles Secondary School into a new juvenile facility, replacing the Boys Training Centre, Upton Gardens Girls Centre and other youth centres, is progressing, according to Minister for Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment, Joachim Henry.
During a pre-Cabinet press briefing earlier this week, he said that when completed, the Youth Services Centre for children, adolescents and youth in need of care and protection will have the potential to make a significant positive impact on many lives.
“It shows great promise…. I think it would be the best in the region of a juvenile centre for rehabilitation, for re-engineering the minds of our young people, so that they can continue making a contribution to our society,” Henry said.
Noting that rehabilitation facilities have proven successful in Saint Lucia in the past, he stressed the importance of offering troubled youth an opportunity to change.
He also called for an end to the stigma surrounding youth placed in rehabilitation centres.
“We’re moving away from the stigma associated with the Boys Training Centre, the [New Beginnings] Transit Home, Upton Gardens Girls, in terms of how they are viewed. These programmes have had tremendous success. However, the way society views it, in terms of some of the feelings, has not been good. So a new juvenile centre will actually bring all of this together in terms of these various institutions. And, of course, the programmes would be enhanced,” he said.
The new facility will house both males and females – a plan which has sparked public controversy. However, Minister Henry assured that adequate measures will be put in place to ensure the safety and proper management of the young residents.
The discussions surrounding an enhanced juvenile centre were reignited following a January 2023 incident involving a ward at the institution, who became the focus of a murder investigation.
The parents of most of these individuals need REHABILITATION as well – it is generational and must be addressed from the roots.
I do not see any progress here. The public was informed of the plans a few Yeats ago. Earlier this year we saw the videos of men cutting bush. Sometime time September we saw another site visit. This was followed by some drawings. What next, cabinet Briefing? If you want to see progress look at the Halls of justice. In less than a year of revealing the plans, the foundation is being dug. That is Progress. Joachim has nothing to say that’s convincing please.