Some Armadale girls have been lucky enough to have been transferred here to the Diamond Crest Villa in Manchester. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

"Not my Armadale" were the thoughts of Cassandra, a former ward of the facility, when she heard the news of the protests and subsequent fiery deaths of seven teenagers at the centre in May.

For her, the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre, located in St Ann, is not just the place she spent two years of her life. Armadale is hers.

"I own it," she said. After all, the centre is where she turned her life around and started on the path to realising her dreams of becoming a teacher.

At age 25, Cassandra, who holds a diploma from studying social studies and physical education at The Mico University College, is just two semesters away from obtaining her bachelor's degree in school management and leadership from the same college.

Although it has been seven years since she left the facility, Armadale is not far behind her.

Cassandra, who is from Portmore, St Catherine, remembers her years as a troubled teen who was considered 'out of control'. She explained that she became an unruly teen as a result of a lack of proper parental guidance.

"I grew up with my parents, but they were young parents, and because of the age factor, I had to move on to an extended family and I guess that's where I got a downturn," she said.

New experience

In 2000, the 16-year-old Ardenne High student was hauled before the courts, which deemed it best to place her at Armadale, based on her level of disobedience, her uncontrollable behaviour and the fact that she had committed a misdemeanour. For her, the first few weeks at Armadale were difficult ones.

"I cried from Kingston straight to St Ann. For two weeks, I was out of it. I didn't know where in the world I was," she said.

The restrictions of living in the minimum security facility were a new experience for her but, soon after, she got into the routine and started to realise that there were many benefits on which she could capitalise.

She said the routine then at Armadale involved meals, chores, recreational periods, rest periods and classes.

It was during her stay at Armadale that she got a chance to reflect on her life and decided to turn it around.

Armadale was where she got a second shot at her education. She said that after completing the curriculum at Armadale, she was allowed to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) at Aabuthnott Gallimore High School in the parish. The wards at the facility also received vocational training at the school and Cassandra reveals that she has the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) certification in cosmetology.

Cassandra is not the only Armadale success story. She still has friends from the centre and she says many are making a valuable contribution to society.

"You have many who own their own businesses; they are working in reputable jobs. They fit quite well into society. If we don't tell you we've been to Armadale, you won't know. And what makes it so good is you don't have a criminal record, so you are not prevented from doing just about anything," she said.

While she enjoys her memories of Armadale, Cassandra is not satisfied just reminiscing - she is ready to make her contribution and give back to the institution that means so much to her. Already, she has put forward a proposal to acting Commissioner of Corrections June Spence-Jarrett for using physical education as a rehabilitation tool.

Alumni association

She also has plans to form an Armadale alumni association. Among the activities she would like to see this association take part in are weekend or summer camps, where counselling is offered to the girls regarding their future.

The former Armadale ward also supports a recommendation contained in the Keating Report on Children's Homes in Jamaica, which suggests the separation of criminally charged children from others in state facilities.

"Each individual goes to these facilities for different reasons. While we would want to pay attention to each and everyone, we can't do that because of resources, whether human resource or capital resource. So a better way to do it is to group them," she suggested.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has ordered a commission of enquiry into the May fire. The enquiry began on June 30. The team is led by Justice Paul Harrison, retired president of the Court of Appeal.