NOC being converted into “Youth Prison”- MP Chris Jones

Jun 12, 2014 News

– if opposition had known, money would have never been allocated …

Member of Parliament, Christopher Jones, has lashed out at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, claiming that they are building a “youth prison” at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC). Jones in an interview with this newspaper, yesterday, said that the Ministry had advertised for bids to be submitted for the construction of a “confinement building” at the New Opportunity Corps.
However, instead of building a “Confinement Building”, the Ministry has opted to construct eight individual “holding cells”. According to the architect’s plan which was submitted by Innovative Engineering Consultancy Services, the “cells” would each be 9×12 in size and be able to house two persons.
This “new facility” would also have two staff and two recreational rooms, one individual and one group counseling room. Jones said the news of the Ministry building actual “holding cells” is very disturbing.
According to Jones, the National Assembly had approved a budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Culture, part of which was expected to go to the NOC for the rebuilding of the “dormitory which was destroyed in 2012”.
Jones said that one would have thought that the Ministry would have been “rebuilding the dormitory”. He said that if information regarding the “new features” to this “confinement” building was known, Parliament would have never allocated the funds.
Jones pointed out that NOC is a facility for juveniles, and placing them in such a room would do nothing for them. He said that this flies in the face of what the Ministry has been touting about rehabilitation. “What we have here is a clear case that the Ministry is building a youth prison at the NOC,” Jones told Kaieteur News.
On Tuesday bids were received for phase two of the construction of the “Confinement Building”.
Both Minister Frank Anthony and Permanent Secretary Alfred King had denied that there is a detention room at the NOC, with conditions which are even worse than the Brickdam lockups.
Late last month the Ministry through King had invited bids for the execution of the construction of a “Confinement Building” at NOC.
The advertisement was published in the Guyana Chronicle. It had asked that interested bidders obtain further information, familiarize and purchase a complete set of bidding documents upon having a written request.
The bidders were also asked to pay a non refundable fee in the amount of $5000 to the Ministry of Culture on Main Street. All bidders were asked to submit their bids, together with the bid security for the amount of $375,000 not later than June 10, 2014, at the boardroom of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board at the Ministry of Finance.
Within the last two months, several allegations have surfaced from the NOC about caregivers engaging in sexual acts with teenagers. Parents have come forward and told harrowing stories about sexual abuse. The Child Protection Agency (CPA) had stepped in and removed four teenage girls from the NOC to facilitate an investigation. That investigation, according to the CPA, is still ongoing.
Opposition Leader, Brig. David Granger, had said that his Party had no confidence in the capability of the Ministry of Culture to administer the New Opportunity Corps.
Granger had proposed that the responsibility of the Corps be transferred to another Ministry or agency that possesses the requisite personnel and skills, and which is better prepared to tend to the lives of juveniles sympathetically.

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