The Government earmarked $168 million in the 2018/19 budget to undertake construction and renovation works at several correctional facilities as well as to acquire vehicles.
• Eight desktop computers were provided to the all-female Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre in St. Catherine to assist inmates preparing for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
• The reintegration curriculum was relaunched and renovated classrooms opened at the Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, under the ‘A New Path’ initiative.
• A partnership was established with HEART Trust/ NTA to train and certify inmates and wards in several vocational areas.
• 67 correctional officers, representing the first batch of recruits to undergo polygraph testing, were commissioned.
Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA)
• Cabinet approved US$1.2 million to establish the online passport application facility.
• Architectural designs for the new PICA head office were completed and submitted to the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation for approval to facilitate the project’s commencement.
• PICA received a $9.8 million bus from the Ministry to enhance community outreach.
• The Electronic C5 Immigration and Customs Form, which provides travellers with a flexible, easy and efficient option for completing immigration and customs information, became operational.
• A system to speed up the passport application process was installed in the New York and Miami Missions.
• Additional automated immigration kiosks were installed at the country’s two international airports.
Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA)
• The FLA discontinued granting permits to individuals to import their own firearms, and directed applicants to consult exclusively with a licensed firearm dealer for purchases.
• A system was developed that will be used by all dealers for ammunition sales.
• The FLA implemented a fingerprinting mechanism for its renewal process called the Morpho RapID System, which is directly connected to the Criminal Records Office database. The machine is able to detect whether a person has been charged or convicted within seconds of receiving the applicant’s fingerprints.
• The FLA successfully upgraded its two BRASS TRAX Machines to HD 3D technology, which enables faster uploading of the ballistic signatures to the FLA system shared with the Forensics Lab.
• The Authority, with the assistance of the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine, successfully cleared its backlog of outstanding ballistics signatures.
• The FLA changed the means of communication with applicants and licensed firearm holders, with applicants receiving automated emails when a decision has been made on their file.
Traffic Ticket Amnesty
• More than $256 million was collected from the second Traffic Ticket Amnesty.