Commissioner of Corrections Lieutenant Colonel Gary Rowe
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Lieutenant Colonel Gary Rowe
The Department of Correctional Services says 283 entry level correctional officers are needed to ease the staff shortage at penal institutions.
Commissioner of Corrections Lieutenant Colonel Gary Rowe made the disclosure during Thursday's sitting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC), which is reviewing the third Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure.
Colonel Rowe said correctional facilities have been understaffed for the last two years.
"Even with the graduation of an intake of 111, which actually occurred late last year, as of January, I'm understaffed 283 entry level correctional officers," he pointed out.
The issue of staffing was highlighted last November after correctional officer Jimel Westley was fatally stabbed by an inmate at the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre.
Arlington Turner, Chairman of the Jamaica Federation of Corrections, urged the Ministry of National Security to increase the cadre of correctional officers.
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