The Ministry of National Mobilisation, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Persons With Disabilities & Youth; through the Child Development Division, in collaboration with Her Majesty’s Prisons, hosted a graduation ceremony for ten (10) participants in the Aggression Replacement Training (ART).
ART seeks to provide a comprehensive intervention programme to address aggressive behaviour in youth. It is made up of three components such as Social Skills, Anger Control and Moral Reasoning. The participants in this programme consisted of ten (10) males from ages 17 to 32, who have been incarcerated at Her Majesty’s Prison for various offences, as these participants have shown some level of aggression. The programme ran for ten (10) weeks, three days per week, from May 6th to July 12th, 2019.
On this occasion, family members of inmates turned out in their numbers to greet and support their son or ward on their achievement of being able to complete a training programme geared at holistic development. In their remarks both Superintendent of Prisons, Mr. Brenton Charles, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Mobilisation, Mrs. Nerissa Gittens-McMillan; encouraged those gathered to support their child, as it was seen as a vital staple in the rehabilitation of the inmate.
While several mothers were not able to hold back their tears, they were relatively happy that their child had been involved in a positive life-changing process. When Mobilisation Xpress® spoke with family members, they were overjoyed that someone took time to impart some discipline and care to their loved ones. “(It is) Not because he (is) in prison (that it) means he can’t be helped or loved, (I) am very grateful for this programme to help him with his aggression”, was the view expressed by one parent.
This is the 3rd cohort of the installment of the ART programme, being conducted by the Ministry of National Mobilisation.
SOURCE: Ministry of National Mobilisation, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Persons with Disability and Youth
