Retired JDF officer is new prison boss

A retired Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) officer has been put in charge of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) as it embarks on a multipronged approach centred on rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders to transform the more than 200-year-old system.

The appointment of retired Lieutenant Colonel Gary Rowe to replace Ina Hunter as commissioner of corrections, and her transfer to the new post of chief programme officer in the Ministry of National Security, is part of the strategy to bolster prison management and reinforce the administrative and security framework of the DCS.

Rowe will focus on strengthening management and operational systems within the DCS, while Hunter will spearhead the special-investment projects to facilitate capacity-building initiatives aimed at modernising prisons, the ministry advised in a press release yesterday.

The ministry did not disclose the basis of Hunter’s apparent demotion.

“Ms Hunter, with over 20 years’ experience in the correctional services, will provide critical support to the ministry’s transformational thrust with a strategic focus on creating greater self-sufficiency within the institutions and the implementation of direct rehabilitation initiatives.

“Lieutenant Colonel Rowe, who served as an officer in the Jamaica Defence Force for 32 years, has amassed a wealth of security and management experience and will extend his contributions to the national security portfolio as head of the DCS,” the release said.

Rowe holds a master’s degree in international security and strategy from King’s College London and expertise in human resource development.