The University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) and Jamaica’s Department of Correctional Services (DCS) have formalised a strategic partnership to support the establishment and development of the Caribbean Correctional Academy. The partnership sets out UCC’s role as academic partner, providing academic leadership and technical expertise to support the development of programmes, professional training, quality assurance and workforce development for correctional personnel in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

UCC and DCS signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, during the opening of the Caribbean Correctional Academy, which formed part of the 14th Annual Conference of the Association of Caribbean Heads of Corrections and Prison Services (ACHCPS) in Kingston. The agreement establishes the framework through which the two institutions will collaborate in developing and operationalising the Academy.

Under the five-year agreement, DCS and UCC will collaborate on the operationalisation of the Academy, with particular focus on academic governance, programme and curriculum development, quality assurance, accreditation readiness, research, leadership development and technology-enabled learning – a partnership designed to position the Academy as a regional centre of excellence for correctional education.

The opening of the Academy signals a major step towards developing structured educational and professional pathways for correctional personnel, ranging from professional certification to undergraduate and graduate education.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, UCC Acting President Professor Bernadette Warner highlighted its potential to strengthen professional learning and development across the regional correctional sector.

“The Academy creates an opportunity to build upon the work already being undertaken within DCS and to place professional development, leadership and continuing learning within a stronger regional framework”, she said.

The new agreement builds on a relationship between UCC and DCS that began several years ago. In 2020, the institutions, together with Stand Up for Jamaica, launched an initiative that enabled qualified offender clients and correctional officers to pursue university-level education through UCC.

That partnership has expanded over the years. In August 2025, ten offender clients graduated with UCC qualifications in Business Administration – five earning Associate of Science degrees and five earning Bachelor of Science degrees – with all ten graduating with academic honours. By March 2026, 16 offender clients and five correctional officers had completed programmes through the partnership.

Reflecting on the progress made through the partnership, Professor Warner expressed:

“We have demonstrated that university education can be successfully delivered within the correctional environment. We have seen students’ progress from the associate to the bachelor’s level. We have seen correctional personnel benefit from tertiary education.”

Through the new agreement, UCC and DCS intend to support the continued professionalisation and modernisation of correctional services in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, while strengthening rehabilitation, reintegration, leadership development and public safety outcomes.