The gates of St Michael’s

Instead of providing a safe, comfortable and nurturing refuge for troubled youth, it has become a mere holding pen.

This is all the more distressing because taxpayers have spent millions to upkeep the compound, which actually houses two facilities: the St Michael’s Home for Boys and the St. Michael’s Interim Rehabilitation Centre for Young Male Offenders. St. Michael’s Home for Boys is a community residence that provides accommodation for male children in need of supervision and beyond control, while the St.

Michael’s Interim Rehabilitation Centre is a rehabilitative centre for males on remand or convicted/ committed between the ages of 10 and 18. These males are sent to the institution via the judicial system with a court warrant.

According to a Sunday Newsday report by our reporter Ryan Hamilton- Davis, conditions behind the forbidding gates to this compound are terrible.

The facilities appear to be under- staffed; there are security concerns; buildings are neglected, dilapidated and filthy. While there are several classrooms, none are operational. Living and sleeping areas are appalling. Walls are covered with filth. The fence surrounding the perimeter is falling apart. Residents have no clothes. And worse, there are reports of abuse and there have been instances of death on the compound. Is this what taxpayers expect given the State’s annual subvention of approximately $10 million? Earlier this year, a Parliament committee found similar conditions inside and also disclosed the alarming fact that “the register of children and children’s files were found to be missing containing pertinent information on the children”.

In January, the Joint Select Committee on Human Rights, Equality and Diversity also recommended, “the recruitment of specialised staff….by the Statutory Authorities and Service Commission and the Office of the Prime Minister as a matter of urgency within three to six months”. This recommendation was made with specific reference to the Interim Rehabilitation Centre.

Sadly, the State does not appear to have acted fast enough in relation to its own grave concerns.

Understood in this context, the recent report of a dozen boys escaping from the complex takes on a new dimension. Not only is it a confirmation that systems are not working within the home, but it also makes plain the failure of this form of institutional intervention.

The model of State-run isolation is ill-suited to our youth.

Either the State puts its house in order or close this facility and replace it with something better.

In a society that is being ravaged daily by the effects of crime, that is still recovering from the traumas of the past, that has been unable to diversity its economy and to afford all classes the opportunity to have a high quality of life, an institution such as this should not be left to falter the way St Michael’s has. St Michael’s should, instead, be a crucial intervention for all who interact with it. It should be fully staffed by qualified individuals who do not come with cultural biases and who understand the importance of their role. It should engage with the community and also draw upon our rich tradition of solidarity. It should be doing far better.

If the State does not improve, it may well find that the price will be too high down the road. Already failing youth, a series of lawsuits have already been brought in relation to this facility. The home is named after an archangel who is meant to be a protector. It’s time for it to live up to its name.